Life is Important
by zella787
Summary: Kept a secret from a majority of the Soul Society, Rie ends up in the barracks of squad 9. Rules aren't something she can stand all that much though she deals with them. How will Shuhei respond to this new girl? And whats her secret? ShuheixOC
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh, I can't believe that man! Giving me orders like that!" I complained with a loud sigh while crossing my arms in the process. I looked to the lieutenant next to me who now had his hands in front of him in a calming way with his eyes closed.

"Now I'm sure he did this for a good reason, you know he always knows what's best for the soul society," he said waving his hands in front of him, frantically trying to calm me down. "Plus you shouldn't be talking about him like that especially out in the open, what if someone else were to hear you?" he added and I just let out another sigh.

"Like I care what that old geyser hears, it's not like I'm going to be killed if he hears that I said that," I said averting my gaze from the lieutenant as we advanced forward. "For all I care he could throw me to jail for saying that, at least there is less work there," I told him looking off to the side.

"Now don't talk like that, if you go to jail you will never get fresh air, it's unhealthy," he said trying to make me change my mind on my last statement. "It's not like you do any work when you're not in jail anyways" he mumbled which ticked me off. I turned my head towards him sending him glaring daggers.

"What was that? You freaky red pineapple," I retorted which seemed to strike a nerve.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" he yelled holding a fist up with a vein popping out of his head. I closed my eyes and held up a finger waving it back and forward.

"I don't think arguing is supposed to be a part of your "escort" mission, your being a bad boy," I scolded him as if he were a dog which just made him even angrier. He opened his mouth, wanting to respond but when nothing came out he closed it and grumbled some unpleasant words. "Good boy," I said with a smile and patted his bright red hair. All he did was growl because he probably didn't want me to scold him again. I brought my hand away from his head and then I saw a small ledge that ran along the walkway which was probably only a foot tall. I smiled and jumped up on it holding out my arms for balance like a little kid. I knew I didn't need to use my arms for balance but it just made it more fun.

"Don't fall," he said sarcastically as if it were the tallest wall in the world.

"I'll try not to" I said and he just sighed and shook his head. I let my lips curve into a smile as I hopped off the ledge and walked up next to my escort. "How much longer till we get there?" I asked him and he just kept looking forward.

"About five minutes, anyways what's with the sudden childish manner? I thought you didn't want to do this stupid thing" he said mocking my tone when he said stupid.

"I know I normally don't act childish but let me ask you something."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Have you ever just let your emotions stay in you for a long period of time that at one point in the day you just want to let that emotion out. Like if you were angry you would want to scream or if you were sad you'd want to just cry your heart out until you fall asleep," he just nodded so I could get to the point. "As for me I never get to have fun, you know like laugh, smile, and just hang out with awesome people that I enjoy being with. It may not seem like I want to do things like that but sometimes I wish I could just jump around in a meadow or something," I finished. All he did was nod in response. He knows that I am highly capable of saying something like that and is ready for it but he just listens and chooses not to respond unless it's some sort of stupid comment. That's why he is one of the only people I like as a friend in this crazy messed up place.

* * *

"Well, here we are" the lieutenant said stopping at the big door that led to the ninth division's barracks. I just sighed as he walked up and told the shinigami that was guarding the door our business with this division. The shinigami bowed as the redhead stood in front of him and then after an exchange of words and looking at me he opened the doors. "Come on," he said and I just let out another sigh and walked into the barracks.

"Why can't I just do work with you, I don't even know this guy and I doubt I'll like him, for once I admit that I'd much rather do my work with Renji Abarai I think it's the end of the world," I ended with a sarcastic tone and he just knocked his fist on my head. "Ow" I whined and rubbed my head.

"Just shut up, it's not like we can go against the head captains orders and I don't want to spend all day doing work with you, in addition to that Hisagi is a nice guy," he reasoned and I just grumbled something before crossing my arms into my previous position.

"Izuru already told me about him when I was back at squad three's barracks. He sounds like a boring guy that only follows the rules and is always busy with stupid work," I mumbled as we walked down the halls of the ninth division.

"Oh really, I guess I'm going to have to talk to Izuru about what he portrays me as," I heard a voice from behind me say. I turned around on my heel to find a man about as three inches shorter than Renji. He had spiky black hair, pointy black eyes, three scars on the right side of his face, a '69' tattooed on his left cheek, a silver type of tape thing that went from the left side of his face to his nose, and a choker around his neck. His shihakshou had short sleeves and his zanpaktou was placed on his side like all other people in the seireitei. His arms were crossed and it didn't seem like he was going to smile any time soon.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated by that glare and his appearance?" I whispered to Renji but loud enough so the man that stood before us could hear. Clearly this guy has a delinquent, punk type of appearance but from what I've heard he is practically opposite from that. He's just another goody two shoes.

"I heard that, and maybe it is" he said in a stern voice.

"Woops sorry but it didn't work" I said which seemed to anger the spiky haired lieutenant. "Oh did that anger you, I'm so sorry what I meant to say was that you already disgust my very being and that I'd much rather not see you ever again. Now if you excuse me I'm going to go" I said turning around but Renji grabbed my arm before it was even possible to flash step away. "Renji, what gives? Let me go" I said struggling to free my arm but his grasp only tightened.

"My orders from head captain Yamamoto were to bring you to the ninth division's barracks and make sure that you wouldn't try to escape and also to make sure that your new position was confirmed with Shuhhei Hisagi," he said staring directly into my eyes with that look of authority. I became angry actually I became furious; it was that nasty look that I despised. Renji knows I don't like that look yet he is looking at me with those eyes right now. What type of friend is this guy? I closed my eyes and clenched my fist tightly making my knuckles turn white.

"Whatever just do whatever I don't care now you happy?" I growled under my breath. Renji's eyes softened when he realized that he gave me that look. When I showed no indication of making a run for it Renji let go. We looked back over to Hisagi who was interested in what had just happened but didn't bother to say anything. "Go ahead tell the man what I'm supposed to be doing here" I told Renji not even bothering to look at him.

"Hello Renji," Hisagi said as he noticed that he never said hello.

"Hello Shuhei" he said with a slight wave. "This is going to be your new lieutenant for the time being since you have to take job as captain ever since Tosen left. The head captain requested the transfer himself. So from now on she can be doing the lieutenant's paperwork for the time being," Renji told him but the guy still didn't look satisfied with Renji's explanation when he looked at me.

"I haven't gotten any papers for a transfer request and I've never seen this girl before," he said while staring at me then looking back at Renji.

"Oh no you haven't gotten any official papers the world is going to end in five seconds unless you get some sort of official document," I said sarcastically crossing my arms over my chest. "And quit staring at me I'm not an alien you know" I quickly added, he just sighed and looked back at Renji. "Renji if you're going to explain this can we at least go into a room so no one will hear," I said and Renji looked back at me then back to Hisagi. He nodded and led the two of us into what seemed to be the captain's office. We sat down on a couch as Hisagi sat down on a chair behind a desk. "Can I please explain instead of you?" I asked Renji and he just nodded.

"I'm not known to many of the soul society. I only do things that are requested by either central 46 or head Captain Yamamoto. I'm only supposed to be known by the squad members that have to do with my job. I am not permitted to associate with many soul reapers. The only ones I am allowed to socialize with are captains, lieutenants, and high ranked soul reapers. I have never stayed in a division for longer than three months which was the sixth division with Renji. I am only to be known as a new recruit that isn't even in a ranking yet to anyone who may ask. I am to come early in the morning and leave late at night so no one will know of my presence within the squad's barracks unless they have business with me. I am forbidden to ever roam freely within the seireitei unless with another soul reaper or if it is between eleven at night to six in the morning. Next is the most annoying rule of all. I must be checked up on while I work to make sure I haven't escaped. The name is Miyako Rie you can just call me Rie though because I'm not a big fan of using honorifics or being called by my last name. I hope that explains enough and don't worry I have a hand written paper from the head captain himself," I said and dug my hand into my sleeve to find a folded paper which I handed to him.

The paper had all the rules I had just explained to him and what I am to do while I am within this division's barracks. He read over the paper and then looked back up at me. "Well I better get going, Captain Kuchiki will get angry if I take too long," Renji said while standing up.

"Wait, Renji!" I started.

"Later," he said and flash stepped away before I can do anything. That sneaky bastard isn't going to be let off that easy. Payback shall be involved later on for leaving me in a room with this guy. I sighed and sat back down on the couch.

"My name is Shuhei Hisagi current stand in for the ninth division's captain," he said introducing himself.

"I still don't like you," I mumbled and his head just dropped. I looked around the room "so is this your office or am I working here?" I asked and he lifted his head.

"We will have to be working in the same office because I don't have time to check if you didn't escape and this is where I am for most of the day," he explained and I mentally banged my head against a wall several times. Great, stuck in a room with this guy for almost the whole day, what's next? Not being able to have a birthday?

I let out a sigh and touched the metal choker that was around my neck. It wasn't actually a choker necklace but that's what I told everyone it was. It was basically just a metal ring with three chain loops that hung down on the side. It looked more as if I broke out of prison with this thing around my neck. It was a thin piece of metal too and it can be removed but I don't remove it in public. Other then the choker around my neck I wore the usual shihakshou like every soul reaper. But my shihakshou went about three inches above my knees. Don't get me wrong though I'm not some type of girly girl that likes to show off her legs. It just feels more free and comfortable to have it shorter and I don't care what people think anyways. I had normal sandals but I wore black socks instead of white that went all the way up to two inches above my knee so there was only one inch between sock and shihakshou. I also wore a black finger glove on my right hand only and other than that I wore what everyone else did… ok maybe not.

As for my appearance I have a light tan which isn't completely pale but isn't extremely tan. My eyes are a turquoise color; not exactly blue and not exactly green, just in the middle. As for my hair, it goes down to an inch above my butt and is a light purple color. Yes, it's an unnatural color but it's definitely not dyed. I'm about 5'9 so I'm definitely shorter than Renji. I guess you could say my appearance isn't exactly normal in the seretei but hey, the captain of squad twelve is like a freak show compared to, well… anyone.

"So, is that your natural hair color?" I heard from the man sitting at the desk as he started with some paper work. Was this his way of trying to start a conversation? Going right on to my hair color and just skipping a bunch of other possible questions? Shouldn't he know that it's not fun being judged by unnatural hair coloring? Now he's just bumping himself up to number one on the hate list.

"Yeah, feel free to make fun of it, I've only heard about a thousand words of crap about my hair why don't you just go ahead and add a couple more," I said in a sarcastic manner as I picked up a copy of the Seireitei Communication that was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Never said I didn't like it," he said still looking down at his desk filling out some papers. This caught me by surprise a little. No one has ever told me straight out that they actually liked my hair. There was Renji but he never actually said he liked it he only said that it was weird and then say that his own hair was weird so we're like the same or something like that. This guy is just strange. "Anyways, you don't have to do any work today because the day is almost over; you're going to start tomorrow," he said putting the papers in a folder and shoving it in a drawer.

I was so relieved that I didn't have to do anything. It's been a long day for me and all I want to do is rest. "Okay, do you mind waking me up when you're about to leave because I want to sleep right now," I said covering my mouth when I yawned. He just nodded and took another stack of papers beginning to fill them out. I put down the Seireitei Communication and got into a comfortable position on the couch before closing my eyes and letting my mind float off to dream land.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, wake up!" I heard as I felt someone lightly shaking my shoulder. My turquoise eyes fluttered open as I saw a scowling face looking down on me. He took a step back as I sat up and yawned. This was one of the best sleeps I've had in days. I think I might actually come to like this couch.

"What time is it?" I asked looking up at Shuhei.

"It's 10:30p.m," he said and I just sighed.

"Then why'd you wake me up? I can't walk around till eleven anyways," I said looking out to window to see a glittering sky with a bright moon giving off a beautiful glow.

"Well I finished all my work so I have to leave now," he said and I just sighed again but then I smiled. I stood up and walked over to the window.

"Never mind that anymore, do you mind walking me home though? Because I don't want to stay in here till eleven," I said with a warm smile as I looked up at the gems of the sky.

"Well your attitude sure has changed, and sure I don't mind," he said and I just kept my eyes on the night sky.

"How can someone be in a bad mood when such beauty is being emitted from the sky? I rarely see the stars shine this bright. Does it always look like this from this window at night?" I asked finally turning towards the spiky haired male.

"I guess so unless it's cloudy outside," he said looking out the window. I smiled at the thought of seeing such beautiful stars every night. All the other barracks I worked at never had a clear view of the sky. Usually there was something like another building or a tree in the way but this window had the best view of it all.

We walked out the door and I led the way to my desired destination as Shuhei followed beside me. The first few moments were silent. But not that strange awquard silence when people don't know what to say, it was more like the silence when people knew nothing needed to be said. Soon enough the silence faded when my voice broke through the still air.

"I'm sorry for saying I hated you earlier I guess I did something that I hate about other people," I said turning my head to face him. He just gave me a confused look in response. "You see, I completely hate people that judge others without getting past the cover. Everyone knows the saying don't judge a book by its cover but they just forget sometimes when they see people. When I saw you it just pissed me off to see a delinquent type of look on a guy that follows rules all the time, it just seems strange. Then again sometimes I just say that to people to see how they respond," I finished as our footsteps were the only things heard once again until he finally responded.

"Why do you want to see how people respond sometimes?" he asked and I just smiled at the question.

"It's simple really. If you say things that could get on nerves or things that could calm one down you'll be able to see what type of person they are by how they respond sometimes," I said holding up a finger with my eyes closed in my "lecture mode". When I opened my eyes again I saw the clearing in the woods that I was looking for. "This way," I said and turned walking through the woods.

"Where are we even going?" he asked as we began going uphill. I didn't answer as we advanced uphill and into the clearing on the top. I smiled when we got to the top and walked forward but Shuhei just stood there quite shocked.

"I know this isn't my home but I like coming here before going home," I said and walked up to the tombstone on the top of the hill.

"Did you know the person that is buried here?" he suddenly asked and I looked back at him and smiled.

"No I have no idea who was buried here," I said and looked back to the grave.

"Then why…" he started but I cut him off.

"Because no matter what you think he or she was a person, right?" I said and he just stood there silent. "All I know is that this person had a connection to your old captain. I also see the captain of the seventh division here but then again I know him and your old captain were close friends. Anyways, my point is that peoples' lives shouldn't be taken for granted… whenever I pass a grave I stop and pray. Every person has or had a family which must be devastated if that person dies," I stopped talking for a moment as the wind picked up and whipped my hair around. "Don't you think everyone should deserve a chance to be acknowledged?" I asked when the wind dies down. I didn't hear an answer, just footsteps and soon he was beside me.

"I guess you're right," he said and I smiled as we both stood in silence for the person.

By the time we were done it was already eleven so we went our separate ways. I sighed as I looked up at the sky while walking back to my place. Maybe this guy won't be that bad. I just kept walking as my thoughts wandered off to other things. By the time I entered my house my eyes were creating a river of tears that slid down my cheeks.

* * *

I shut the door behind me and walked through the living room and straight into my bedroom. I wiped away my tears as I went to the mirror to look at my reflection. I picked up the brush that rested on the dresser and brushed my long lilac hair. When I finished with that I tied it up into a messy bun and went to change into my pajamas. I wore long pajama pants that were a green and purple plaid and I had a big green shirt on. I was never a fan of night gowns or small shorts with tank tops as pajamas; this is just fine with me.

I then walked into the bathroom and washed my face including my puffy red eyes. I then brushed my teeth deciding that I wasn't very hungry to have dinner. When that was over I walked back into my room and over to the dresser. I reached my hands behind my neck and picked at a hook type of thing on my choker. When I heard the click I grabbed the choker from both sides of my neck and pulled it causing it to separate at the back and a hinge-like part let it bend back so it won't break. When I pulled it off I looked at my reflection in the mirror again and sighed at my slightly changed appearance. There were now two cat ears poking out from my hair and I now had a cat tail.

I guess I never mentioned this sad part of my life to anyone. I'm a neko; half human and half cat. The only people that know this is my family, head captain Yamamoto, and central 46. I'm not really allowed to tell anyone about this so I could only take off this damn choker at home. I can't take it though, just too many rules. I'd rather just leave and run around in a field full of flowers. Like in the movies; that would just be hilarious, running all slow motion and stuff.

I chuckled at the thought and turned around. I hopped into the aqua covers of my bed and put off the lamp that was providing the only light in the room. When the darkness hit the room I just sighed and curled into a ball under the covers. I tried my best to avoid any further thoughts on what makes me feel depressed and to fall asleep. The falling asleep part truly wasn't that hard because of my constant lack of sleep whenever I closed my eyes while lying down I would usually be out like a light. Once I was in a comfortable position the darkness brought me into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock. I know what you're thinking. Soul reapers don't have electricity like alarm clocks. Well truth be told I got this from someone that went to the world of the living because he knew I needed it, which I did. Without opening my eyes I was able to blindly shut of the alarm by finding the big snooze button. After another five minutes of nothing I finally decided to get a move on.

I sat up while rubbing my eyes and looked to my right to see the sliding window door that led to the balcony. Of course the sun still hasn't risen. It really sucks; not being able to see the sunrise or the sunset even though I could have the most incredible view ever and it was all because of these dumb rules of not being seen. I sighed at the darkness of the sky and looked back to my clock to see the time. The time was 4:30a.m which was right on schedule for me. I usually fall asleep by 11:30 and then wake up around now. Only about five hours of sleep each night and sometimes even less. What a wonderful life I have.

I turned to the side of my bed and got up stepping on the cool wooden floor. I walked into the bathroom and started the shower. While waiting for the shower to heat up I walked back into my room and got my uniform from the closet. When I walked back into the bathroom the shower was all nice and hot. I stripped down from my pajamas and stepped into the showers letting out a sigh of relief from the relaxing steamy water. Once finished with my shower I changed into my soul reaper uniform, picked up my zanpaktou that was resting on my dresser, and put on my choker causing my ears and tail to disappear. Then I rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen to make a quick breakfast while I walk to my division. A simple toast with jam spread on top was enough for me. When I finished spreading the jam I put the knife in the sink and rushed out the door. It was 5:10 when I left my place which gave me enough time to get to the ninth division's barracks before six.

* * *

Upon arriving at the barracks it was quite empty. But then again what was I to expect? I had arrived at 5:40 in the morning it's not like it would be teeming with soul reapers at this hour. Anyways the guard was there and immediately let me in without me even having to say a word to him. I thanked him and walked into the halls of the ninth division. I didn't need any help with finding my way because of my remarkable memory. All I need is to see it once and I'll know my way around in an instant… or at least my way to the room I was in yesterday, I haven't exactly been anywhere else yet. Anyways I turned through the corridors of the barracks and found my way to the captain's office. I slid the door open and saw no sign of Mr. Boss man also known as Shuhei.

I slid the door closed when I walked inside the room and looked at the big window. I just thought of something. I'll finally be able to see a sunrise. I knew this because the window faced the east which is where the sun rises. I was so happy I thought I'd explode at the moment with a giant smile. I haven't seen the sunrise for as long as I can remember. My smile remained on my face as I walked over to the desk that was in the room. I sat down in the chair and looked at the two huge stacks of paperwork that were piled on the side of the desk.

One of the stacks said lieutenant and the other said captain. The captain pile was bigger than the lieutenant pile. I figured I might as well start with the lieutenant paperwork since I'd have to do it sooner or later. I yawned before getting a pen and filling or sorting the papers.

Every time I would write about three words I'd look out the window to see if the sun was coming up. The papers weren't all that hard to fill out other than some which I probably needed a reference book for. I decided to stand up and check the bookshelves on the back wall to see if I could find anything useful. But just my luck I saw the book I needed on the top shelf which was about 2 inches out of my reach. I tried getting on my tip toes but sadly I still couldn't reach. I sighed and looked back at the window. Completely forgetting my current problem I rushed over to the window when I saw a hint of light peeking out from the horizon. My face brightened up when the sun peeked out from the far sight of the sky.

"This is so beautiful," I said to myself as the sky filled with orange, pink, and the light blue color that was further away from the sun than the other colors. I don't ever remember seeing an array of colors in the sky so beautiful. I let out a heavenly sigh as the sun slowly rose and the colors set in the sky. A warm smile spread across my face as I spun on my heel and now looked at the bookshelf as if it were a sworn rival. "Now I'm all pumped so let's do this," I said smacking my fist against my palm with a smile.

I walked over to the chair and moved it into position, check. Next I stepped up on the chair and was able to reach the book, check. I smiled in victory and reached for the book. I grabbed it and slid it out from between the two other books, check. Next the chair began to wobble and I started to lose my balance… check? Wait… not a check more like an "oh crap." I tried moving quickly to stop myself from falling but before I could even try two strong arms caught me, stopping me from falling to my impending doom… or at lead stopping me from getting some sort of scratch, bruise, or bump. I looked up to see the face of Mr. Boss man.

"You okay?" he asked and I nodded as I stood up straight.

"Yes sir mister boss sir person," I said and he just sighed. I was in a happy mood after seeing the sunrise even though I did have to do a bunch of paperwork it was still worth seeing such a beautiful scene every morning. I then looked down to the book in my hand "mission complete!" I said and showed the book to him. He was confused at first but then saw the paperwork on the desk that I've been filling out.

"How long have you been here?" he asked noticing that I finished a good amount of paperwork. It was now about 8o'clock in the morning and I didn't even notice that I've been working for so long.

"I got here at around 5:40, I saw the paperwork on the desk and thought it'd be a good idea to start while I'm already here," I said with a shrug looking down at the papers scattered on the desk. "I was going to go somewhere for training when I finished but I needed a book and I guess you can see what happened after that," I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"You seem more productive then I thought you'd be," he said and I just growled.

"Whatever, I'll just finish up here and be on my way," I said and took the papers from the desk along with the book and walked over to the couch so Shuhei could use the desk. He just sighed and sat down as he also began with his own paperwork.

The reference book was very helpful. It probably would've taken forever without one so I was glad I used a chair even though I almost fell. I finished with the rest of the work at around ten o'clock. Shuhei was being requested in some places so it was harder for him to focus on his work but it wasn't mine so I didn't even bother to ask if he needed me to help. I stacked all my papers on his desk when I was done and walked over to the door.

"Where might you be going?" I heard from behind me and I spun around to see the busy Shuhei looking up from his work.

"I want to train, don't worry I'll stay within the barracks," I said but I knew I wouldn't get out of this. I'm supposed to be doing work and even if I am done I shouldn't be seen so easily as to just walk around looking for a place to train. All the other barracks I worked at were the same. The only one that was different was squad six because Renji would walk me to the training grounds because I'm allowed to with a lieutenant or a captain. We'd just spar with each other and then take a break but I doubt that'll happen here. Shuhei seemed to be too busy to even worry if I were to get something like a heart attack.

"That won't do, you'll have to stay here and that's final," he said as he looked back down to his paperwork. I knew it; it's all the same everywhere I go. No place will let me roam free like a little rabbit instead I'd just be caught in a snare like all other rabbits that wander off too far.

"It's bad enough to keep quiet throughout every goddamned day! I can barely even focus on things at hand when I feel like a caged animal, I'm sorry but it wasn't a question. I'm going to go train whether you like it or not," I said and then flashed stepped away into a random hallway. I just had most likely my tenth outburst of the month; good job. I swear rules are getting worse and worse by the day.

I looked around the hallway I had just appeared in and was lucky enough to find no one here. I walked down the halls and soon found the back of the barracks where there were just some trees. I jumped down from the wooden hall of the building and advanced forward into the trees. Once I couldn't quite see the barracks anymore I sat down and decided to meditate for a bit, it helps calm me down. I sat down and took my zanpaktou from my side lying it down in front of me. I then closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths before I escaped into my inner mind. I decided I should visit my zanpaktou since we haven't talked in about two months. Yeah I'd rather not explain right now.

When I opened my eyes I was in a completely different place. I was standing on a baby blue cloud that had light purple bridges connecting to many other clouds. Half of the sky was an orange color which looked like there was a sunset and the other half of the sky was dark with the most beautiful array of stars or gems of the sky as I like to call them. Below the clouds was an ocean with crimson red water; the color of blood. I looked around and finally saw the figure I was looked for a couple clouds over.

"Hello Rie," the figure said and I smiled and began to cross a lilac bridge. Once I finally reached my destination I was able to see my zanpaktou better. He had golden blonde hair and his bangs cascaded over his right eye which was light blue. He had a white cloak draped around his shoulders and flowed down to his ankles. He wore black pants from a shihakshou, his abdomen was wrapped in bandages, and his feet were bare. In his hand was him in his sword form. He was beautiful in comparison to many.

"Hi Dokusha," I said with a smile. "I'm sorry about not being here in a while but I know you understand," I apologized and he just smiled and then patted my head. "Hey I told you not to do that anymore," I said and he just laughed.

"Yes I understand, so how've you been," he said with a warming heart. I swear if he wasn't my zanpaktou I would be head over heels in love with him. We have the best shinigami zanpaktou relationship that I've ever seen. He is the only one that has ever come to understand me.

"I've been good but I probably don't have long in this conversation as you I'm most likely being searched for," I said with a sigh and he just nodded.

"Actually I think he is coming right now, it was great seeing you, I know you have to get as much sleep as possible but at least try to have some time to talk," he said and I nodded.

"I'll try my best," I said with a smile and then closed my eyes. My smile just like the rest of my inner mind disappeared when I reopened my eyes. I grabbed Dokusha and stood up and right when I did Hisagi ran up behind me.

"What's your problem? You can't just run out like that!" he said grabbing my shoulder. My instinct immediately kicked in and I grabbed his wrist and began to twist it. I quickly realized what I was doing and stopped.

"I'm sorry force of habit and yes I can run out like that isn't it obvious that I just ran out like that before and came here so technically I can but I'll just be caught. Ugh whatever it's not like you'll understand let's just go back to the office," I said and rushed passed him.

* * *

**A/N  
Hello! Sorry I didn't put an authors note in the first chapter, I don't really know why though?  
So how'd you like my story? I'd really like to know what you think so please review!  
I'm kind of knew to fanfic so I don't really know how it works quite yet so i think the right word is review.  
Anyways I would appreciate some critique for anything to make it better or any ideas  
If I get ideas I promise to give credit to and if anyone sees grammar issues don't be afraid to tell me :D  
Thanks for reading :3**


	3. Chapter 3

The man walking behind me didn't bother to speak. He probably thought that if he spoke one word an argument would form which was most likely true. I walked through the halls of the barracks slowly instead of the speed walk I started out with because of wanting to escape from Shuhei. People kept staring at me when I walked by. It wasn't that hard to hear the mumbles and murmurs that filled the halls when I walked by. Most of the whispers said something about me being a new recruit or a transfer of some sort. I didn't care to bother with these people; they didn't know anything so I won't judge them for making feeble assumptions. The only thing that annoyed me was the comments on my hair but I found it easy to zone those out; I have been doing that for my whole life so it wasn't so hard now.

I turned the hall with Shuhei now beside me. We were now passing the training grounds but I stopped when we heard a girl's feint scream. I turned my head towards the door and so did Shuhei. I was about to open it when he grabbed my wrist.

"I'll handle this you just go back to the office," he ordered and I jerked my wrist away from him.

"No, I want to see what happened," I said but I pretty much knew what was going on before we even saw what caused the girl to scream because there were two spiritual pressures in the room.

"You see, this is what happens to weak soul reapers, they just get beat up just like I did to you, you don't even deserve to be in a division like this," a man's deep voice said from the other side. In that moment I grabbed the handle once again and slid the door open to reveal the huge room used for sparring matches. I saw a small girl sitting on the ground holding her right arm with her left and in her right hand was her zanpaktou. She seemed to be beaten badly. She had many scratches and cuts; her bleeding was bad in her right arm which is why she was holding it. She also didn't seem to be able to stand and was breathing heavily. Standing above her was a man looking like a thug. He was bulky with brown shaggy hair and some stubble on his chin indicating that a beard was growing. The thing that pissed me off the most was his zanpaktou had blood on it. How could someone do this to their own comrade? How did this guy even get into this squad?

"What are you doing?" I said before Shuhei could even speak. He turned around quite surprised and at the same time scared when he saw Shuhei. But he still was puzzled with who I was.

"Who are you?" he asked ignoring the question that I gave him.

"That is unnecessary information right now, all I want to know is what were you doing just now?" I said with a glare that wasn't the slightest bit friendly. The glare seemed to frighten him when his expression changed and was now scratching the back of his head.

"W-well you see, I was just training one of the new recruits," he said which was the clearest lie in the world. I clenched my fist and flash stepped over to the girl. When I looked closely she seemed even more beaten then I thought she would be.

"Don't give such a lie! It's clear that you were fighting her with your zanpaktou and she had no other choice but to use her own," I said standing up straight with my back turned to him. "Don't give some bullshit that she isn't strong enough or any of that. I can't tolerate such actions. She's your comrade isn't she?" I said finally turning around to see his shocked expression. "This isn't a way to treat someone, if you do something like this you may not know what'll happen in the future. She might gain this amazing power and then kill your ass for always beating her. I'm not saying it'll happen but who knows?" I said and from that he was just speechless.

I turned back around and helped the girl up without a word. Then I flash stepped next to Shuhei who was also quite speechless at the moment. "Here, take her to get her wounds checked. I want to have a talk with this guy," I said and he just raised a brow.

"I think I've already learned that leaving you alone isn't a good idea. What if you start fighting this guy? Or what if you run off again? Then I'll have to come and stop you again," he said crossing his arms.

"If I were to fight this guy then I'd just stoop down to his level. This girl is hurt and you're worried about me doing something stupid! Why would I even think of running away now of all times? All I want to do is talk to this guy to show how wrong he was. I don't believe in pointless fights anyways and if he attacks me then I got it covered," I said which left the stand in captain astonished. He then just nodded and took the girl's arm over his shoulder and flash stepped away to get her wounds checked out.

I then turned around to see the man standing there not uttering a single word. I then sat down in crisscross. "Let's talk," was all I said which surprised him that I actually just did that. Either way he gave in and sat down.

* * *

I shut the door as I walked out the room that I was just in. Shuhei was leaning against the wall of the opposite side of the hallway with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes when he heard the door close.

"Okay, I don't think he'll be beating up people anymore," I said with a smile. Shuhei now had a confused look on his face.

"What's he doing now?" he asked me as he kicked off the wall and stood upright.

"Oh he went to lunch," I said and he just sighed. "What time is it anyways?" I asked noticing that I talked to that guy for quite a while.

"It's 12:30," he said quite annoyed. "Oh yeah, you got some more paperwork to do," he said which made me sigh.

"Fine whatever," I mumbled as we walked back to the office.

Once back in the office we started with our own work again. Shuhei had to rush in and out the office with all the work he had but I didn't run out again like earlier. It was about two hours later when Shuhei went to lunch. I sighed when my stomach grumbled in the empty office. I couldn't go to lunch; too many people would see me. A lot of people had already seen me from today's events so I didn't want anyone else to see me. I still had some work to do but I was taking a break now.

I was just walking around the office looking at everything I could. My eyes spotted an unedited addition of the Seireitei Communication magazine on the table that was in front of the couch so I just decided to read it. Most of it was boring; interviews with captains, attacking watermelons on a beach, and just local news. My attention was finally caught when I came across a page titled "Acknowledging life". I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the words that I had said the night before in this article. It was pretty much everything I said about not taking life for granted and acknowledging one's life. The article was short because it only had the words I said in it. At the end of the article it said by anonymous. I couldn't believe this so I turned to the page where it says the names of the editor and publisher. I almost dropped the thing when I saw the name Shuhei Hisagi.

I had no idea he was the publisher of the Seireitei Communication. No wonder he's always so busy. Between captain work and this thing I'd probably be way busier than I am now too. I almost fell from the couch when the door opened. It was Shuhei returning from lunch and I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to be reading an unpublished edition of the magazine when I'm not part of the Seireitei Communication.

"Were you reading next week's issue?" Shuhei asked and I turned around to see him holding a bowl and some chopsticks in his hand.

"Um… were you… eating a… pineapple on… crack?" I asked from the complete randomness of my inner mind. I seriously had nothing else to say… I got to get out more often. Oh wait, I can't.

"What does that even mean?" he said completely confused but then realized what I was doing. "Wait, don't think you can get out of telling me," he said going back to his former question.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said clearly lying with my eyes wandering around the room.

"What do you mean? It's right there in your hand!" he said pointing at the magazine that I was holding. I looked down at the magazine in my hand and tossed it on the table and began whistling. "Why do I even try?" he mumbled to himself which made me chuckle.

"Yes, why do you try? Anyways shouldn't I have the right to read something with my own words in it?" I asked and now he was the one with his eyes wandering around the room. "Caught you red handed, sucker!" I yelled pointing a finger at him. Yes, I was in another childish moment there, just wanted to have some sort of fun. He sighed and began walking towards me which kind of confused me. He stopped in front of me and held up the bowl with the chopsticks. It was ramen noodles and it smelt delicious.

"Will this be enough payment to keep the article in the magazine?" he asked and I just smiled with a nod. "Good, anyways as long as the article says that it's by an anonymous person no one will know it's you and you won't have to be involved with it," he said as I set the bowl on the table so I could break the chopsticks in two.

"Okay, but does that mean I'm going to have to write a bunch of stuff every week for the magazine?" I asked clapping my hands together "thank you for the food," I said with a smile before Shuhei could answer. I picked up the bowl and let the mouth-watering noodles invade my mouth. It was delicious.

"Not unless you don't want to, and it also depends if the people like the article, if they love it then I might ask you to right stuff like that once every one or two weeks. If they hate it then you won't have to ever do anything involving the magazine again," he explained walking over to his desk and sitting down. I was barely paying attention because of how delicious the noodles were.

"Where'd you get these ramen noodles? They're delicious," I said and he just sighed seeing as I ignored his explanation.

"I got them at this ramen shop about a mile away," he said taking some papers in his hand, beginning to work as I slurped away on my noodles.

"I'll have to go there one day, oh yeah and about the paper I don't mind doing it but there is something I have to change," I said and put down my bowl down on the table. I picked up the magazine and flipped to the page with my article in it. I searched the table for a pen which I found and then scribbled something out and wrote something on top of it. "Here you go," I said and handed him the unpublished magazine. He looked at it for a moment to see what I changed and then said it out loud.

"Life is important?" he asked looking up at me.

I smiled and nodded "it's the title of my section in the magazine." He thought about it for a couple of seconds and then looked up at me and nodded with a small smile. "Okay back to lunch," I said and walked over to the couch to continue with my meal. "So why'd you get me this anyways? Was it just to make a deal to keep that article in the magazine?" I asked in between bites of my ramen.

"No, it just didn't seem like you were going to leave and I knew you were hungry," he said not looking up from the work on his desk.

"And how'd you know that?" I asked and then took some of the pork from the ramen.

"I heard your stomach growl before I left," he said bluntly and my face was flushed from embarrassment. I didn't know he heard my stomach but at least he was mature enough not to make comments about it and nice enough to get me some ramen.

"Well thanks anyways, it was really nice of you to do that," I said as I finished up the rest of the ramen.

"No problem," he replied and continued with his work. For the rest of the day we just worked on our usual things. Shuhei was rushing in and out of the office like earlier today and I was just sitting around in the office doing the paperwork that kept coming in the door. I would take breaks every now and then and have small talk with Shuhei but nothing important really came into those conversations. I was able to finish all my paperwork that I needed to finish by the end of the day but sadly the end of the day was earlier than I expected.

It was only 9:30 by the time I finished with all my work and it seemed that Shuhei was finished about ten minutes later. He didn't seem to have as much work as yesterday even though I caused that scene earlier today. He was just about to leave but noticed me sitting on the couch doing nothing. He stopped halfway out the door and looked back at me.

"Hey Rie, your good friends with Renji right?" he asked me and I looked up at him with a confused look on my face from the sudden question. I just nodded not really seeing where he was going with this. "Good, that means you're coming with me," he said out of the blue and I blinked in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked completely baffled at his statement.

"Renji and some others asked me to come to dinner with them, and since you can't leave until eleven I thought you'd want to have some dinner or see Renji instead of being stuck in this office," he explained as not really an invitation but more like an order.

"I'll take you up on the offer," I said with a smile and got off the couch. We walked out the door and into the halls. We didn't have much of a conversation on the way to the bar; just my comments on the beautiful glittering sky. After about ten minutes of walking we reached our destination. We walked inside and met up with the other people in a separate room that they had asked for. Among the group were Renji, Rangiku, Izuru, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. The only ones I actually knew were Renji, Izuru, and Ikkaku. The only reason I knew the names of the other two was because Ikkaku told me about Yumichika and I knew the names and faces of all captains and lieutenants.

"Hi everybody," I said as Shuhei and I took our seats. I took my seat between Renji and Shuhei mostly because I wanted talk to Renji, who actually looked quite surprised that I was actually here.

"Rie? Why are you here?" Renji asked with a brow raised.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't know I wasn't allowed to hang out with you guys," I stated bluntly.

"Never mind it's just that you usually aren't for this type of thing," he said and I just shrugged.

"Come on I just wanted to see my best friend or has he forgotten about me?" I asked with innocent eyes and a voice that could match a little girl.

"Renji is this your girlfriend or something?" a voice cooed from across the table. I looked for the owner of the voice to find a strawberry blonde girl with icy blue eyes, and a big chest. Looking at her and then back at Renji I began to laugh. I laughed so hard I almost cried and the rest just looked at me like I was crazy.

"If I ever consider being this idiot's girlfriend then it'll most likely be the end of the world," I said with one last chuckle.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Renji asked with a threatening fist in the air.

"It's okay one day you'll get smarter," I said patting his tomato red hair. He just growled as the others were all just watching us. "Anyways how've you been Ikkaku I haven't seen you since about four months ago," I said which caught the bald man's attention. Yes bald, no matter how much he says it I refuse to say his head is shaved.

"There isn't anyone to fight lately that's for sure," he grumbled seeming upset from that fact.

"Always looking for a fight, I still can't forget that one day when I kicked your ass," I said with a smile and everyone looked at me in awe probably wonder how a girl like me defeated a barbarian like him.

"You did not beat me! That was an unfair match and every time I would demand a rematch you said no!" he immediately yelled and I just laughed.

"Yes of course because tripping and falling on your butt because of some spilled water is unfair, I ran right over that thing without falling," I ended with a laugh as everyone joined in especially his feathered friend.

"You and I both know you cheated," he growled.

"Yeah whatever," I replied with a smile.

The rest of the night was great. I would tell a story about someone else that was at the table just to get a good laugh from the others. When the drinks came I didn't have any because I don't drink alcohol because I'm a good girl… sometimes. Before Rangiku was completely out of it I actually had an interesting conversation with her while the guys were talking about guy stuff. After that we just shared some jokes and dumb stories about things and of course Shuhei just had to tell them that I fell off of a chair. To my surprise Shuhei could hold his liquor but he just ended up completely drunk like everyone else. Everyone ended up drunk except for me and Yumichika who I came to dislike from his constant talk of beauty and all that crap. He also didn't seem to drink much he only had two small cups of sake and that was it for him. As for Rangiku, she just chugged away with the others following behind her. So all in all it was a good night and I didn't regret coming.

Yumichika ended up having to practically carry Ikkaku back to his place. Izuru, Renji, and Rangiku… well let's just say they managed, somehow. Lastly came my boss who even though had a lot to drink didn't seem much out of it when we left the bar. Our homes were in the same direction so we decided to walk back together. I didn't mind it even though I could've chosen to be alone because it was twelve in the morning. Anyways if it was before eleven I don't think a drunken man would be much of an escort. He seemed fine but his words were slurred and he wobbled every now and then while walking. Well, tomorrow when everyone but Yumichika has forgotten tonight's events I'll just laugh at how they won't know what I'm talking about.

Once we went our separate ways I just looked up at the sky with a smile as bright as the stars. For once I didn't enter my home with a frown or tears but with a genuine smile. A smile that didn't cease to exist when I saw my cat ears or my tail, a warm smile that makes me think how great life is.

When I was finished changing into pajamas I walked into my office and pulled out a black journal from a drawer. Flipping to the middle of the book where pages were still left untouched I grabbed a pen and began to write. This is what I wrote: _Today so many things happened. Who knew a first day on the job would be better than expected? I had fun, even though earlier events almost made me cry. At the bar I realized something; a lot can happen in one day and with great people surrounding you even more can happen. They truly make me feel free. I still won't give in to being stuck in a cage._

A smile still planted on my face, I closed the black leather journal and slipped it back in the desk drawer. Back in my room I jumped in bed and wished myself a goodnight and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

**There it is! Chapter three right up there ^  
Hope you all liked it and thank you person for advice i seriously forgot you username sorry! lol  
Well i hope you all liked it please review and give me some good grammar and writing advice ;3  
Now if you excuse me I have to go eat a pizza**


	4. Chapter 4

I let out a chuckle as Shuhei walked in with a yawn. His hair was a little messier then usual and he looked tired… really tired. He came in later than usual. It was ten o'clock and I had already finished a large portion of my lieutenant paperwork. I didn't have as much work as yesterday for some odd reason but Shuhei has a whole lot that he didn't even start on because of a hangover.

"So does your head hurt? You want me to speak a little louder?" I asked already in a loud tone just to get on his nerves. He just growled as I stood up from the chair behind the desk and took my work to the couch. I still haven't gotten a desk but what am I to expect? I only started here yesterday. I heard a sigh escape his lips when he saw all the work on his desk. Without even saying anything he started with his work. I guess he wasn't in the mood to talk then again he probably has a pounding headache right now. I was about to say something else but the door flew open and in came the person I never expected to see.

"Rie, I can't believe it I finally found you!" she squealed without even noticing Shuhei's presence.

"Is that seriously you?" I asked rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't going crazy.

"It's me alright; do you know how hard it is to find a girl that isn't supposed to be known by normal soul reapers? Well let me tell you it's not easy, I can't believe it though, your actually a soul reaper I know you've been one for a while now but I just heard the news like two months ago when I got back. Anyways I'm here for you now," she said walking up to me. Without me even saying a word I got up and hugged her.

"When I was sent here I thought I'd never see you again," I whispered into her ear making sure Shuhei wouldn't hear what I said.

"Don't worry I know why you're here, that's why I came looking for you. For something like moral support I guess," she responded still not quite aware of Shuhei sitting at his desk.

"Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt your little reunion but who exactly are you? And how did you get in here?" the man's voice said which I saw coming. Completely confused she grabbed my shoulders and poked her head out from my right side. When she saw Shuhei she looked back at me and then let go of my shoulders and walked up in front of his desk.

"I'm sorry for being so rude, the name's Kimiko Hakura, and I am authorized to be in any building I want to be," she said with her gleaming bright smile following. She then turned around not caring of his response "so who is this guy?" her thumb pointed behind her.

"He's my… boss," I said and she dropped her thumb and turned around. "Oh God please don't," I mumbled to myself with a sigh knowing she would anyways.

"So you're her boss huh?" she asked and he simply nodded. Well this was going well… so far. She bent over the desk and grabbed his collar causing another sigh to leave my lips. "You listen here. If you do anything as much as hurt Rie I will kill you. I don't care if you're a goddamned lieutenant or captain," she threatened, but he wasn't all that scared. Actually I don't think he was scared one bit.

"It's okay Kimiko; he didn't do anything… yet. Anyways I can't exactly sit around and talk so why don't you go to my place and we'll talk when I get home," I told her which caused her to let him go.

"But I know that you can't leave until like eleven and you have to get up early too. I can't get you more exhausted than you already are, and we both know I don't get up early. At most we'll only have an hour," she explained, sympathy consuming her grassy green eyes.

"I don't care if it's an hour, any amount of time is enough and we both know that. Anyways…" I trailed off looking at Shuhei who now held a confused expression. I walked up to Kimiko and whispered something into her ear. "Got that?" I asked and she nodded.

"I'm sorry for bursting in. See you later Rie, I'll be off now," he said and rushed out the door. Once the sound of footsteps faded I sighed.

"What did you whisper to her?" Shuhei asked with a raised brow.

"Um you do know the meaning of a whisper right? Not to be heard by others. Anyways it was the direction to my house and something else," I said and slumped down on the couch.

"Whatever, just get back to work," he ordered and another sigh escaped my mouth. I sat up and began to work on papers while Shuhei did the same. "So who was that girl? A childhood friend?" he asked at random after a couple minutes of silence. My hand stopped its movement and let the pencil within it just fall to the edge of my hand. "You don't have to tell me," he said noticing my action.

"No, it's okay I'll tell you. Actually she is my childhood friend. My only friend for that matter, but I don't care if she's my only friend from my childhood. She gave me enough love that more than a hundred friends could provide," my soft voice was barely able to reach his ears but he heard. My eyes slowly directed themselves to the window. The skies were clear; no clouds at all, just a beautiful azure color.

"You had no other friends as a child?" he asked as my eyes kept a firm stare on the sky. He seemed to want to continue the conversation. Maybe he just wanted to listen to something while working, or maybe he just wanted to learn something about me but I doubt that.

"Nope just Kimiko, but I'm perfectly fine with that. Too many friends could cause problems. If you had a choice of being popular with tons of friends or being an outcast with one friend which would you choose? I'd choose the one I am and I don't find anything wrong with it. An outcast with just one friend. It means that the one person who is your friend is more trustworthy. Let's say an incident were to happen while a bunch of kids were in a park. The popular girl's "friends" would leave her without looking back if a hollow were to leave. But as for the outcast's one friend; they would stand side by side and wouldn't leave the other behind," I said as a certain memory engulfed my mind. I turned around to see him writing stuff down. I blinked back into reality "did you just write that stuff down?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I? If you're not going to write those articles anytime soon I might as well ask you some questions to get your opinion on things, so what about Renji and the others aren't they your friends?" he asked and I sighed and went along with his way of getting my articles.

"They are my friends but I know them. The popular girl probably only knows about two of her friends while all the rest are just blurs in her posse. Friends like Renji won't turn on me. I truly am blessed to have the few friends I do," I paused letting out a slight chuckle. Shuhei looked up at me in confusion with a raised brow. "You know how I just told you about an incident with the popular girl being left behind?" I asked closing my eyes with a small smile. He just nodded as I continued "it actually happened before." Shock covered his face as he didn't respond.

"Back when I was little Kimiko and I were at a park in the Rukon district. For some reason a hollow showed up and we both know that they rarely pop up in the Rukon district. Anyways there was this bitch there with her groupies who were about to beat us up or something, well they thought they would but if the hollow didn't come she would've regretted picking a fight with us. So once the hollow came she and her so called "friends" looked scared shitless but then again both me and Kimiko were too. After that the girl and her friends ran like hell which caused the hollow to react. Kimiko and I also began running but then things got ugly. She tripped and cried out for her friends but they just looked back at her and kept running. I couldn't just let the girl lay there and die so I ran over to her but then I somehow twisted my ankle and fell. I yelled out for Kimiko and she came running. She was able to get to me but right when she did the hollow killed the popular girl. We were struck with horror as she slashed straight through her stomach. That's the first time I witnessed death and the first time I ever realized life's importance," I stopped and opened my eyes to see his expression.

It was still a shocked expression but there was something else I couldn't quite read. He seemed to be seeing something within his own mind. That's when it came clear to me but before I could ask he spoke. "What happened to the hollow?"

"I truly don't know, after that I passed out. When I woke up Kimiko was by my side and refused to tell me what happened. We were in an abandoned little shed and her expression was quite worried," I sighed thinking back to the look on her face. "I also saw fear," I growled out clenching my fist.

The room was engulfed in silence. "Anyways, did you have a bad childhood memory with a hollow or something?" I asked recalling the look on his face.

"Yeah, how did you know?" he asked quite surprised at the question.

"I'm just good at reading faces I guess," I shrugged. "Anyways I have a deal to propose to you," I said completely changing the subject.

"What is it?" he asked looking back down to his work and continuing.

"Will you walk me home, please? I'll help you with your work so we can leave earlier. I just want to get home earlier to talk to Kimiko," I asked with puppy dog eyes. He thought about it for a moment and then gave in with a sigh.

"Sure," and with that I jumped up with a smile.

"Once I finish my work I'll help you with yours," I said and he just nodded. I walked over to the bookshelf to get a reference book which was put on a shelf that I could reach for once. Then I just went back to the couch and began with my own work again.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. No complications or arguments and I didn't even try to make a run for it. I finished my own work around lunchtime and was thankful that Shuhei brought me lunch for the second time. This time it was some nice sushi which I gladly ate. After lunch I helped Shuhei with his own work. His work was harder than mine and most of his papers needed signatures so I just did the parts that I could do and he would sign it.

"I'm quite surprised," I said while writing down the finishing word on a paper.

"About what?" Shuhei asked looking up at me from his papers.

"Well isn't something like letting a lieutenant do captain work against the rules?" I asked now also looking up at him.

"Well if that were true than I wouldn't be doing captain work. I still can't accept the fact that I could be a captain. But I was told to do this so I'm doing it. As for you I'm just giving you the work that isn't as important as other things," he stated the last part bluntly and I just sighed.

A couple more hours passed and now we were both finished with our work. We walked out the building at around nine. Not many soul reapers were wandering around in the halls. Just one or two that would stare at me as we passed by. Once we made our way out the barracks I began to lead the way to my house.

"Well here it is," I said as my house appeared. It was the only house within the area and not many people walk by so it was perfect for me. "Do you want some tea?" I asked turning towards my escort.

"Sure why not," he said and with that we both walked up the stone pathway that led to the door. I opened the door which was already unlocked because of Kimiko. She was never good at remembering to lock doors but she can take care of herself if someone tries to rob the place or something.

"I'm here!" I yelled as we entered my home since I didn't see Kimiko. I heard a door slide open and footsteps running through the hallway. Before we could even walk another step into the living room Kimiko rushed in.

"Rie, your early," she stated with a smile. Her soft brown hair was up in a messy bun and her amber eyes glistened under the light of the lamp that was providing light.

"Told you I'd be early but you can thank Shuhei here," I said pointing to the silent man standing next to me.

"Oh, well thanks it really means a lot that you would do that since we don't have much time to talk if she were to come later," Kimiko said with a bright smile.

"I'll go make the tea," I said and made my way to the kitchen. I got out some tea leaves and heated some water in a kettle. As the kettle began to whistle I brought out some tea cups and pour the water mixing it with the tea leaves. Once I was finished I walked back into the living room with the tea.

As we drank the tea we had a small conversation. Nothing of importance just some stuff about work. When Shuhei was done with his tea he left leaving Kimiko and I to have our own talk.

She told me about her trip around the soul society. She went to so many places and spoke with many people. When she was done with her story I started with my own.

"So once that happened I had no other choice. I thought I was finally free but I when I was sent here I was trapped once again even though not as much," I finished explaining with a sigh. Without a word she just hugged me and I smiled. "I'm okay, really I am. If I hadn't been sent here I wouldn't have been able to meet Renji, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Shuhei," I said as she let go.

"So what about this Shuhei guy?" she questioned with a mischievous smile nudging me with her elbow. "You like him or what?" she asked with hopeful eyes. For a long time now she's always been questioning me about guys.

"No," I stated playfully pushing her shoulder.

"Oh come on, you're going to have to find someone. Did you ever even consider anyone at all?" she asked and I just shrugged.

"People in the Seireitei don't really think of this stuff anyways, and neither do I. But I must say Shuhei sure is different. He actually told me he liked my hair… well kind of indirectly. He told me he never said he didn't like it so I'm guessing that meant he liked it," I said taking some strands of hair in my fingers.

Her smile grew a little bigger "maybe he likes you?" she inquired.

"Doubt that but whatever," I said with a shrug. "Anyways I better go to sleep," I said and she just sighed.

"Good night then, I should get going. I'll try to come around tomorrow, bye," she said and hugged me. We parted from our embrace and I led her to the door. Once she left I sighed and did my night routine.

I sighed looking at my ears and tail. "Hair… sure why not, but who would like ears and a tail like this?" I asked the mirror feeling my sensitive ears. I turned around and hopped in bed. "Goodnight," I said to myself drifting off into another dreamless sleep.  
-~~~-

Hey! I hope you all liked this chapter! I don't know why but something is kind of wrong with the editing of the stories so i couldn't put lines for time differences. Anyways please review! And please help out with any grammar problems


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning," I greeted Shuhei who just walked into the office. It had been a week since Kimiko came to visit and for some reason she never came to visit the next day. I was worried but she sent me a letter saying she was alright and had to take care of something so I trust her with that. Anyways since then I've gotten my own desk but I still have a small habit of doing some work on the couch. I've also been able to get home earlier because Shuhei and I made that agreement from a week ago official. The Seireitei Communication with my first article was just published yesterday so some reviews are bound to come in today.

"Morning," Shuhei responded which I barely heard because of being lost in thought. Right now the only thing covering my thoughts was the letter I got this morning. It was another letter from Kimiko which I've gotten daily saying that she was doing fine and trying to visit as soon as possible, but this one was different. Instead of all the others this one said that she may not be able to visit in a while without any reason except for the line "something came up". But the part that bothered me the most was several drops on the bottom of the page. I'm no expert but I know for sure that they were tears yet the last line of the letter still said "don't worry" like every other letter. "You okay? You seem kind of out of it," I heard with a hand being waved in my face.

"U-uh yeah I'm fine," I said which was the line that many people who aren't fine say. He gave me a slight worried expression but then sighed and walked to his desk. The room was now consumed by silence. Shuhei began his work without a word and I just continued with mine. An hour passed and it was still silent unless we would ask each other for a paper or information for the work. None of our normal conversations would follow; just work questions with simple answers. The silence was soon broken when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Shuhei simply answered and the door slid open. On the outside of the door stood an unranked soul reaper who had about three papers in her hands. She had short brown shoulder length hair, dark brown eyes with square glasses covering them, and pale skin. Her shihakshou was a normal one and had her zanpaktou on her left side. She had her eyes glued to me for a couple of seconds obviously she hasn't seen me for the whole week I've been here. I was being a good girl by staying in the room all day and when I'd go home Shuhei and I would go out through the back where less people were.

"Oh um, some reviews came in for the Seireitei Communication," she said when she finally directed her attention back to Shuhei. She walked forward and then handed him the papers that she was holding.

"Thank-you," Shuhei said simply and took the papers.

"I really liked that new article. So who's the writer? It doesn't say so I thought you could tell me," she asked which surprised me. She looked like a shy person and someone actually likes my article.

"It's an anonymous writer for a reason as in your not supposed to know," Shuhei answered looking up at the brunette who pouted at his response.

"Fine," she sighed knowing that Shuhei wouldn't give in to telling her. "You've seemed quite busy lately; want to go for lunch today? My treat," she asked hoping for a positive response, and for some strange reason she shot her eyes towards me once she asked. What's her problem?

"Sure why not," he replied not really all that interested.

"Great, what about that ramen place?" she asked with probably the brightest smile ever.

"Okay," he responded "thanks again for the reviews, I'll see you at around one," he said looking through the reviews.

"No problem, I'll see you there," she said and walked out the room.

"So someone has a crush on you," I sang when she left the room. I grabbed a book but then looked over his shoulder trying to read the reviews.

"Her? You're saying she has a crush on me," his response was calm yet the hint of surprise was still hinted. This caused me to let out a chuckle as I grabbed the papers from his hand.

"Wow you're so oblivious. It's so obvious that it's laughable. Did you see that smile when you said yes to her and the way she glared at me? What a joke, trust me I've been able to read people like books especially if they have obvious facial expressions," I said with a small laugh and then began to actually read the reviews.

"I don't notice many things I guess," he shrugged "but I don't really care, it's not like I'm interested in her anyways," he added and looked up at me. "Pretty much all of those reviews are on your article," he commented as I switched the papers I was reading.

"Wow I can't believe how people are so interested in this sort of stuff, it's just stuff that I think of and say every day," I mumbled looking at the last page of reviews. "Wait I just realized something."

"What is it?" Shuhei asked raising a brow.

"I just ruled your paper, haha I'm like the most interesting writer in this thing," I sang with a smile and he just sighed.

"You seem to be in a better mood," he said as I handed the reviews back to him.

"Oh I guess so," I replied remembering why I was so lost in thought which just got me bummed again. He realized that I became solemn once again and his slightly worried expression returned but then looked back down to his work. Silence once again took over the room and the still air was far from a normal atmosphere. My glum expression came to my face as I worked for the next couple of silent hours.

* * *

"Do you want some ramen?" Shuhei asked as he was about to take his leave. It was one o'clock now which meant he was about to go on his lunch with the girl from earlier.

"No thanks," I answered looking down at my work. My appetite was lost because all I could think of was that damn letter. I hate worrying like this. Shuhei just left with a slight wave. "Alone once again," I sighed out when he was gone. I was pretty much done with my work so I decided to sit on the couch and look at the letter which I just pulled out from my sleeve. I lay down on my back and held the letter up above my face. "Why?" I asked myself tears begging to escape. "I don't get it. They say don't worry, but that just makes them worry even more. Is there any point in those words put together? What should I do?" I asked myself in a silent whisper. I read over the letter once more.

**Dear Rie,  
I know I still haven't come over since my first visit.  
****Something came up so I won't be able to come and visit for a while.  
Not sure how long it will take but I know I'll be able to see you before…  
Please don't worry  
Your lucky number,  
Kimiko**

The words after "before" were scribbled out and smudged so I couldn't read them. She does that and tells me not to worry, how can I not? I stared at the two teardrops that stained the bottom corner of the page. I took one hand from holding the paper and gently touched the spot where the tears were. My eyes were caught by the second to last line "your lucky number". I couldn't help but let out a small smile at the old nickname. I always called her lucky number because she was my first friend and would put me first. For some reason whenever she was with me I felt that she was lucky. I called her lucky number one once because of being my first and only friend but it soon changed to just lucky number. It still made me sad to see that nickname being used because the last time it was used was a long time ago, so why would she use it now?

Without knowing it a tear slipped out. I sat up and set the letter down on the table. I couldn't stand looking at it anymore. Standing up I walked over to Shuhei's desk. I sat down and started on the paperwork that was my share in order to go home earlier. There wasn't much that I was able to do because most of it was stuff I wasn't allowed to fill out or see because of being a "lieutenant". I still didn't consider myself a lieutenant. I just faced the fact that I would most likely be transferred in one or two months. Anyways I was able to finish in about half an hour so I went back to the couch and yawned. I wasn't planning on going to sleep but my heavy eyelids planned something a little different.

* * *

I opened my eyes for them to be greeted by the orange sunset. "I see your up," I heard from the desk in front of the couch. I looked over to see Shuhei looking up at me from his work. I sat up and realized that my face was slightly wet. Upon feeling my face I noticed that I was crying while asleep, what type of soul reaper am I?

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked while wiping my face with my hand.

"You always seem so tired plus you already did pretty much all your work, so why not?" he shrugged completely ignoring the fact that I had puffy eyes from crying.

"I still have some work to do though, so how was your lunch?" I asked changing the subject. I sat up and noticed the letter still sitting on the table. Even though I couldn't bear to look at it I quickly grabbed it and stuffed it in my sleeve which didn't go unnoticed by Shuhei.

"It was just lunch to me, I didn't really have to say much she just kept yapping away," he stated and looked back down to his work.

"I figured as much," I sighed out and then walked over to the window. "I still can't get over this gorgeous view," I mumbled staring at the beautiful sunset.

"No matter your mood you never miss a sunset do you?" he asked and I nodded.

"It's so stunning that I never want to miss it, why don't you ever join me?" I asked turning around to face him.

"Maybe another day but it goes by so fast that you miss it sometimes," he responded making a slight gesture with his head towards the window. I quickly spun back around to see the brim of the sun slowly disappear from the horizon. He was right; it was gone just like that. The beautiful mix of oranges, yellows, and pinks were gone leaving behind a darker shade of blue with a visible half moon.

"And there it goes; sometimes beauty only lasts for mere seconds," I sighed out and turned back around to go and finish my work. My work was all spread out on my desk so I had to search for the last thing I worked on. "I should really get more organized," I mumbled to myself as I searched through my papers. I grabbed some papers and stacked them in a neat pile. Sadly while I was stacking them my hand slipped causing half of the papers to drift off to the floor. "Or not… not is good too," I said looking down at the papers scattered across the floor.

* * *

I finally finished all my work at around eight so I just sat on the couch thinking about things. Not long after Shuhei had finished his own work. "Shall we go?" he asked placing the papers he just finished in a folder. I was currently lying down on the couch looking up at the ceiling.

"Um you can go if you want, I'll stay till eleven today," I said still in some thought. I heard him sigh and then walk around to the front of his desk. To my complete surprise he stood there and crossed his arms which caused me to sit up on the couch and look up at him with a questioned face.

"Look, earlier today you said you were fine. I may not be as good as you are with reading peoples' expressions or faces but I do know one thing. You're not fine are you?" he asked. I have seen many things coming in the past but this I would have never guessed would even happen. I wanted to look away from him but I didn't, instead it was just silence between us for a moment until I spoke.

"You're right, I'm not alright. Not at all, in fact I'm so depressed right now. The stress is weighing down on me and on top of that is this letter," I responded finally averting my gaze the sadness evident in my tone and facial expression. I took the letter from my sleeve and held it up. I looked back up at him on the brink of tears but didn't let them escape "I have no one else to go to." I have no idea but somehow I wore a small smile. I guess on the inside I felt that I couldn't have others involved and that I should just deal with this by myself so I smiled. That's when the words began to play in my head "don't worry," is all I wanted to say but I didn't because I knew it'd be just like the letter.

"Then let me walk you home and then you can tell me," he offered with a hand to help me off the couch. I silently nodded and let him help me up and we walked out the barracks in silence. We didn't waste our words on the walk, for it would all be explained at my place. But I was still curious as to why Shuhei would be interested. I guess he just sees a girl who needs help and offering a helping hand never hurt someone.

* * *

When we got to my place we sat down in the living room. I pulled out the letter once again from my sleeve and handed it over to him. "For the past week I've gotten letters from Kimiko each day, but none have been like this one," I explained as he began to read the text on the paper. When he was done he looked up at me waiting for more of an explanation which I gave to him. "All the other letters said she'd try to be here as soon as possible but this one says she might not be able to come and visit any time soon. The part that worries me the most is the text that is scribbled out and no longer legible. Then there are the two teardrops at the bottom of the page," I finished and he handed the letter back to me. I was able to regain my composure on the walk so tears weren't at the edge of my eyes anymore as I spoke.

"So you think she's been captured or something?" he asked in a calm voice.

"Maybe but if that is so how could she send letters?" I asked a question that I knew wouldn't receive an answer to.

"Well that's true, but remember there are always clues," he said and looked at the letter. For a second I had no idea on what he was implying but then it finally hit me.

"Your right, Kimiko is way smarter than just sending letters there must be some sort of clue," I said with a glint of hope appearing in my eyes. He just nodded as I looked down at the letter. "Hmm…" I pondered while looking through the words in the letter. "Do you know any type of codes?" I asked looking up at him.

"I don't know any exact codes but sometimes codes have to do with numbers or certain letters," he told me and I looked back down at the letter.

"Number, number," I mumbled to myself. "I got it," I said and in that instant I grabbed a pencil and paper from the table and sat on the floor to write something down. "In the letter she uses her old nickname lucky number which meant one. But she is even smarter than just giving me one number to work off of," I hinted and then wrote something else down. "It's the two teardrops at the bottom of the page. She rarely cries so maybe they aren't teardrops, and if they are then she only made sure a certain amount would stain the page. So my numbers to work with are two and one," I explained.

"You got all that from me saying a code using numbers?" he asked and I just nodded. "You know you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for," he stated.

"I don't really think so but anyways I'll need your help soon enough," I said and he didn't respond to let me finish my explanation. "You see with the numbers one and two there is only one way I can think of using them. Starting with the second word of the actual letter we would take every second word so," I trailed off trying to write this down. "Know, still, come, since, and first would be used from the first sentence. After we have the words we take the first letter from each word. Which means the letters k, s, c, s, and f would be taken," I finished still trying to catch up in writing everything down.

"That sure is complicated but it makes sense. But those letters alone don't have enough vowels so try taking the second letter as well," he suggested and I took him up on the offer.

"Okay so now we'll add n, t, o, i, and another i. That makes more sense but this is where you come in," I said and he seemed quite confused.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked still questioned on his job.

"You see I was never good at unscrambling letters, usually I'd find about two words and I bet Kimiko knows it too," I mumbled the last part with a slight growl. "Anyways I need your help to make words out of these letters, will you do it?" I asked.

"Sure," he responded and then sat on the floor to accompany me at the table to decipher the secret message that my friend left for me.

* * *

**A/N:  
Hey everyone! I'm able to make the lines now as you can see.  
I hope you all liked this chapter! I know I'm not the best at getting chapters out really fast but i try so please bear with me.  
Please review! Excuse my grammar if anything is out of whack because I don't really read over the chapters that I write.  
Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon! :3**


	6. Chapter 6

I sighed along with Shuhei as we looked at the paper in front of us. It's been a couple minutes since we cracked the code and started finding words from the first sentence but it still didn't make sense.

"This doesn't help us at all, even if we find the right words how are we supposed to know which words are to be used and in what order," Shuhei said scrutinizing the words we had so far.

"If you ask me the words we found so far aren't all that great, you aren't good at this either are you?" I commented which caused his eye to twitch a little.

"I don't see you coming up with any words at all here," he growled and I shrugged.

"I told you I'm not good at this stuff, Kimiko even knows that yet she wants me to find words in a secret code," I said. Instead of sighing or commenting on what I said he thought about it as if some words stuck out to him.

"Wait you said she knew you're bad at this, right?" he asked and I nodded. "If she knew this then that means that there must be some words that seem so familiar that you can't miss them and since the message was meant for you, you must know the order of them or what they mean," he explained.

"Maybe, let me see the letters again," I said reaching my hand out so he would give me the paper which he did. I scanned my eyes over the letters from the first and second letters of every second word. Then I looked over the best word we had so far which was fiction. We probably could've gotten better words but this word somehow seemed familiar so he circled it. I looked back over to the letters and as if the letters were glowing I found it.

"Kiss," I mumbled to myself and then looked back to the word fiction. "That's it I got it," I said happily and looked up at Shuhei.

"What is it then?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Its fiction kiss," I answered which obviously made no sense to him at all.

"What do you mean?"

"Fiction Kiss is a book that I read some time back. It was a present from Kimiko and because it was her favorite book she thought I'd like it too. I read it once but as for Kimiko, she read it about five times so she knows the book. She said I could keep it even though I finished it so I still have it up in my room. I can't believe she'd know I still have it because it was given to me about three years ago," I explained. "I'll go get it," I said and he just nodded in response.

I got up to my feet and rushed through the house and into my room. It took me a while to remember where I had put that thing but I finally realized that it wasn't in my room at all. I walked out of my room and then into my library, duh. My house wasn't a huge mansion like the Kuchiki clan's. It had about seven rooms which included my room, the office, a library, a guest room, a special meditation room, an empty room with no furniture, and an art room. I barely go to the art and meditation room because I don't have much time for them but I try when I have rare free time. As for the empty room, well I have no idea what to put in there, I just think about it sometimes but never come up with anything. The library isn't like a huge library, it has two tables and bookshelves to the ceiling which are full of books that I've read or plan on reading. Apart from those rooms I have a kitchen, and a living room which for some reason I don't actually count as rooms.

Anyways, I walked into the library and went to a special shelf that had all books that belonged to Kimiko or were gifts from Kimiko. I searched through the titles that were labeled on the sides of books and finally found the one titled "Fiction Kiss". I smiled as I grabbed the book and rushed back out to the living room. When I arrived Shuhei's back was again the couch and his head was tilted downward. He was asleep.

I sighed and didn't bother to wake him up because I hate if I'm woken up during my sleep. I still walked over to the table and sat down next to him, but was careful not to wake him up. When I sat down I looked over at his face which seemed more tired then I remember. I guess I didn't notice because I was too caught up in this code. I had a sudden urge to just ruffle his hair but I held back from doing so and then looked back over to my book. I opened up the cover of the book and then flipped through all the pages. To my complete surprise something fell out; it was a note. I picked it up off the floor and flipped it over the then read it aloud in a muffled tone to myself.

"Rie, if you're reading this it means that you've figured out my clues in the letters. I stuffed this in here when I came to visit. Anyways it's too late now; it seriously saddens me to say but… they know. They found out that I found you and now they're coming for me. Please don't cause an uproar, if anything I'm glad that the reason I'm going is because of seeing you. I'm so sorry that you had to live your life the way you did. It pains my heart not to be there for you anymore. Please don't shed tears for me; your beautiful face will be stained if you do. I will love you forever and always, thanks for being there for me. Your lucky number, Kimiko," I don't even know why I read the whole thing aloud but I did. Tears didn't come; I was too shocked by the letter for my thoughts and emotions to even process any. I did nothing, said noting, and thought of nothing. The best friend I've ever had is either already dead or about to die and here I was reading her letter.

I set the letter on the table and got up. They did this and I know it was them. Why Kimiko though? Why couldn't they just come after me and be done with it? I'd rather be locked up in a cage then to let her leave this world. So I guess this is what it feels like to lose a loved one. I am lucky after all aren't I. I've only had one person close to me die but others could've had more than one person die. I can't cause any commotion because Kimiko wouldn't like it but there still is one thing I want to ask of them.

With that thought in mind now I walked over to my room and took my cloak from my closet. With that I covered my face by the hood and walked out my house. I looked back and mentally apologized to Shuhei as I walked off into the midst of the night.

* * *

Two hours of walking and flash stepping had gone by until I finally reached my destination. I now slowly walked through the hallways of a certain estate. It was quiet but I knew some people were still up. I didn't want to be noticed by anyone so if there were one or two people lurking through the halls I would sneak my way around them with flash step. At last I reached the room that I was looking for. Without a knock I opened the door to see a person on a seat in the center of the room and some others speaking with that person. All the eyes of the room were on me now as I stood at the doorway.

"Who are you?" the one in the center asked with a voice of authority and demand.

"I believe you know full well who I am," I said and then removed the hood that covered my face. Gasps were heard around the room when my face was revealed.

"You, why are you here? Did the news of that friend of yours get out somehow?" he asked.

"Yes it did. She's smarter than you think you know. Anyways I did not come here for unnecessary violence," I stated with a serious expression on my face.

"Then what did you come here for? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see that face of yours ever again," he growled at me with hatred evident in his eyes.

"If you really did kill her, please," I stopped and bowed my head. "Let me be the one to bury her," I said which came as a shock to everyone.

"That's absurd, have you no pride. Bowing your head like that for that… that girl," he said completely surprised by my request and how I was bowing my head. I raised my head and shot him a glare.

"I lost my pride when I was kicked out of my family, and I've also realized how pointless it is to have pride. People can't get as far as they want to if they have pride and because of it they get humiliated easily. Anyways I am completely serious and if you disagree I'll fight," I explained and then grabbed my zanpaktou's handle. The others in the room stared at me as the serious expression on my face never left. I waited a moment to hear his answer which finally came.

"Fine," he finally sighed out which came a surprise to everyone but me. "You go get the body and bring to her," he ordered one of the people in the room. "And as for you, once you get the body I want you out of my sight you scum," he said looking back over to me.

"Scum? That's rich coming from you. It isn't like I'd have fun staying here anyways," I responded causing him to growl.

"Why you little," he snarled clenching his fist. Before anything else happened the man came back into the room hold a sack which held Kimiko within it. The man handed me Kimiko's body still in the sack which I held bridal style. I held back the urge to yell at these people and thanked the man.

"I'll be taking my leave now. I hope I won't have to deal with you again for a while, father," I said addressing the man in the seat. With that I turned around and left without even bothering to look at that man.

* * *

I walked uphill now with the moon still shining up in the air. I sighed and looked down at the sack I was carrying. I can't believe this was all caused by me. I closed my eyes and shook my head before I would think of anything else. When I looked back up I saw a huge maple tree and began to reminisce on some old times. I closed my eyes and went back to that conversation years ago. We sat under the huge maple tree one day at sunset.

* * *

"Beautiful as always," Kimiko remarked looking at the astounding view.

"Yeah, and the maple leaves are starting to change colors," I replied putting out a hand to catch a red maple leaf.

"This has been with us for a long time hasn't it?" she said patting the tree trunk as I nodded in agreement. "Can I ask you something?" she asked taking her hand back to her side.

"What is it?" I questioned looking to my left to face her.

"If I die first will you please bury me at the tree?" I was shocked at the sudden question.

"What are you saying? Why are you even bringing something like that up?" I responded with wide eyes.

"I'm not saying it'll be anytime soon, but if I do just please. I want to see the sun set and the leaves change forever," she said with a smile. I stared at her for a moment but then finally smiled and nodded.

"Same for me then," I agreed which caused her smile to brighten.

"Then it's a promise," she said holding out her pinky. I nodded as our pinkies locked and the sun went down.

* * *

A warm smile tugged at my face as I remembered the day of our promise. I walked forward and in front of the tree where the best view could be seen; nothing but beautiful fields and trees for miles. I set the sack down and then looked up at the branches and leaves of the tree. I set my zanpaktou down and then jumped up into the tree.

"Where did we put that thing," I mumbled looking between the branches. "There it is," I said and grabbed the object that I was looking for. "I'm surprised this thing is still here, we put this in the tree years ago," I said to myself as I jumped back down onto the ground. The object was a shovel which Kimiko and I put in the tree the day after we made our promise.

The hole was soon dug and the body was placed in. I didn't bother to investigate the method they used to kill her; it would just be a useless waste of time if I did. She never wanted to be buried in a coffin; she found that it'll feel freer without one. I thought the same way even though we both knew that we can't feel things when dead, it truly was a silly thought to think. I covered the body in dirt and filled the hole. I then walked over to some rocks and picked one up. I brought it over to where I buried her and set it down.

"This should be simple," I murmured while unsheathing my zanpaktou. I cut the stone to make smooth edges and a flat surface for the epitaph. "Hmm, what should I write?" I thought aloud tapping the blunt side of the blade on my shoulder. "Should I write something deep? Or just your name," I let out a slight chuckle "you wouldn't like that would you? What about just your name and this," I said while inscribing her name into the stone. When I finished it read:  
**Kimiko Hakura  
If you didn't know her… you missed out.**

"That suits you way more," I laughed to myself at the inscription. I reached into my cloak and pulled out a lily of the valley. "I believe you know what one of the meanings for this flower is," I said setting the flower down in front of the stone. "You've made my life complete," I whispered the meaning of the flower with a smile. "I'm going to miss you," and with that I walked away.

I must say that I handled that well. I'm truly glad I knew her and have no regrets of anything that I've ever said to her. We never fought and only helped each other. Even though there still may have been some secrets that were never told I trust that what she didn't tell me was for a reason just the same as how I have my own reasons. It's true that I am depressed and greatly saddened by what has happened but she told me not to shed tears for her. She also wouldn't like it if I spent my time sulking and not living life like the free person I've become.

* * *

By the time I got back to the house it was dawn and the edge of the sun was seen on the horizon. I had forgotten all about my curfew and time had just passed me by while I walked. I also visited that other grave before coming to my house because I finally realized how the people who loved that person must've felt.

"I was wondering when you'd come back," I heard when I closed the door. I looked up in shock to see Shuhei sitting on the couch drinking some tea. I guess I also forgot that he was here.

"When did you wake up?" I asked walking over to the couch.

"When you shut the door," he said as I sat down next to him.

"Were you awake all that time?"

"Yeah, I found this on the floor and figured you went on some sort of walk. I'm sorry that I read it, it's really none of my business at all," he said handing me the note I found in the book.

"It's okay; I'm the one who just left it on the floor. I probably would've done the same thing," I said and grabbed the note.

"You okay," he asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a sigh. "You must be tired, why didn't you go back to sleep?" I asked.

"Don't know," he shrugged and then yawned. "We have to get to the office though," he said and got up.

"Sure whatever, I'll just sleep later," I said and yawned while also getting up. I wasn't in the mood for work at all but I didn't have a choice.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! Okay so I hope you all liked this chapter and I'm sorry for those who liked Kimiko and are saddened that she'd dead  
Moment of silence for Kimiko... okay we're good  
Once again sorry for grammar and stuff. Please leave reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

Another week has passed by in the Seireitei. Within that time I haven't smiled once. Not even the sparkling gems of the night sky or the heavenly orange glow of the sunset would make me smile anymore. I didn't start up conversations like I usually would and I'd only speak when spoken to. I haven't cried either; not one tear drop went astray. I didn't exactly have a glum expression on my face but it obviously wasn't a happy one either. Now it's just a face; nothing more and nothing less, no life or emotion could be detected in it. I haven't gotten much sleep in either but that was my own fault. Whenever Shuhei would offer to take me home I'd refuse and continue working until 11:30 and then visit Kimiko's grave. I'd stay there for about an hour and then take two hours to slowly walk home. I only get about two hours of sleep before waking up to get to work. I kept wondering when I'd finally just collapse from tiredness and exhaustion. I sure am glad I don't have to go on missions that involved fighting or I'd be screwed.

"Good morning," I heard from the door as Shuhei walked in. I looked up at him and shut my journal that I was currently writing in.

"Morning," I simply replied and he sighed.

"Did you finish the paperwork for the head captain?" he asked while sitting down in his seat.

"Yeah," I answered and picked up the work he was talking about. I got up and handed it to him which he silently took. I sat back down and started with today's work.

"Remember you have the lieutenants meeting to go to later," Shuhei reminded me.

"Do I really have to go there? I'm not all that much of a lieutenant and I don't even know what people do at those meetings," I replied. It didn't sound like a complaint it just sounded more like reasoning.

"I have to go to the captains meeting so you're going to have to go," he explained to me. Those were pretty much the only words we spoke for the first part of the day. A few hours went by before we both left for our meetings.

* * *

I knocked on the door where the lieutenants meeting would be held. There was no answered so I just opened the door. No one was in the room but I expected that since I was a little bit early. I sighed as I shut the door behind me and then sit down in a random seat. I began to think about what the other lieutenants would be like. I only know about four and those for are the only ones know about me, but I think everyone knows that there is a new stand in lieutenant for the time being. The lieutenants I know are Renji, Yachiru, Izuru, and Rangiku.

I yawned while thinking which changed my thoughts to how tired I was. I looked over at the door for a moment and then lay my head on the table. Soon enough I fell asleep in the room.

"Is she that new stand in lieutenant?" I heard a voice but ignored it. I kept my eyes closed and hoped that I wouldn't be disturbed but that wasn't the case. I heard the door open and then a childish gasp as quick footsteps advanced towards me.

"Kitty!" I heard a girl's voice yell and before I knew it I was knocked out of my chair and onto the floor. I sighed knowing exactly who it was. It was Yachiru who had just tackled me to the ground. She may be little but she is one tough girl. The other amazing thing about her was nicknaming people. Usually her nicknames would be a physical attribute or based on personality. But as for my nickname, kitty, I have no idea how she got that. It was right on the spot too and she has no idea about me being a neko either. I asked her why when she gave it to me and she just said that I reminded her of a cat.

"Please get off of me," is all I said with my eyes still closed as the little pink fuzz ball embraced me. She immediately obeyed and got off of me allowing me to sit up. I opened my eyes to see a bunch of stares from faces that weren't familiar. I counted the amount of people and it figures that everyone but the people I knew were here. Then again Yachiru just came in so that counts as one that I do know.

"How are you Yachiru? I haven't seen you in a while," I said completely ignoring everyone else. I wasn't trying to be mean; I just wasn't in the mood for meeting new people.

"I'm doing good," she replied happily with a bright smile.

"And what about Kenny and baldy?" I asked using her nicknames for the two.

"Kenny is bored because he has nobody to have fun with, and baldy is still bald," she answered.

"Ehem," I heard so I looked up to see a woman with black hair tied up in a bun pushing up her glasses.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Are you the new stand in lieutenant for squad nine?"she asked but before I could answer someone else did for me.

"Yes she is," Renji said who was at the door with the two other lieutenants that I knew. He walked over to me and gave me a hand, helping me up.

"My name is Miyako Rie, just call me Rie though," I said now facing all the other people I didn't know. Everyone then introduced themselves to me and the meeting got started. The meeting was an hour long and very simple; just talking about work and upcoming events.

* * *

"Rie would you like to go to lunch with me?" Rangiku asked as we left the meeting room.

"No, thanks for the offer though, maybe some other time," I replied and she sighed.

"Well if you want to have lunch with someone just call me up okay," she said with a smile.

"I'll be sure to do that," I said and then we went our separate ways. I was walking in the halls towards the captains meeting room where I had to wait for Shuhei. I wasn't allowed to just walk back to the office alone so I had to wait for him. When I turned a corner I saw Renji leaning against the wall.

"Rie do you have a moment?" he asked wanting to speak with me.

"Sure," I said and walked over to him.

"Is there something wrong? You haven't smiled all weak and whenever someone offers to take you out for lunch or something you refuse. You also seem more tired than usual," he came straight out and said it.

"I'm fine okay, I just have a lot on my mind lately," I told him hoping it would be enough.

"You know you have friends here in the Seireitei, if you want to talk about anything don't be shy, and like you told me before. If your emotions are all bottled up then just cry till you fall asleep if you're sad and scream to the world if you're angry," he said and then walked away.

Did I really say that? I can't remember when I ever told that to him, so much has been on my mind that I can't think all the clearly. I thought about it for a moment and then remembered that I did tell him that when we were walking to the ninth division.

"It's not that I don't want to let it all out, I just… can't," I whispered looking in the direction that Renji walked away. It's true that I can't, it's as if something is blocking my tears. I haven't been able to cry because I can't and I don't even know why. I seriously wish I could though.

I sighed and then kept walking towards the captain's meeting room. When I got there I just sat outside the room on the other side of the hall so I wouldn't hear anything. I'm not the meddling type so I didn't bother with trying to listen in. I tried my best to stay awake but I failed because the moment I closed my eyes I was out like a light.

* * *

"Rie, wake up," I heard as someone shook my shoulder. I lazily opened my eyes to see Shuhei and some other captains standing around me. I stood up and looked around to see the captains that were present in the hall.

"Hello," I bluntly said to everyone.

"Asleep as always Rie, you should learn to not sleep while on the job," Byakuya said.

"You don't know anything so keep quiet," I mumbled while crossing my arms. "Can we go now?" I asked turning to Shuhei.

"Yeah," he said and I took the liberty of walking away first. He caught up with me and slowed down by my side and then we both walked away.

* * *

"See you tomorrow," Shuhei said as he was about to leave the office. I put up my hand slightly waving while still looking down at my papers. I heard him sigh before he walked out, closing the door behind him. I looked up at the door when it closed and without even thinking I got up and ran towards the door.

"Wait!" I yelled after Shuhei and then ran after him in the hall. I stopped when I finally reached him "can you walk me somewhere?" I asked.

"Sure," he said with a smile. I seriously don't know why I just did that but I guess I realized something today. I'm so damn tired. I led Shuhei out the barracks and towards Kimiko's grave. "So where are we going?" he asked as we began walk up the moonlit grassy hill.

"Kimiko's grave," I said and he nodded in response. "Up here," I said as we got to the top where the maple tree stood. The gravestone was still in front of the stump where I had place it. I walked over to the tree and sat down leaning my back against the maple tree. I patted the spot next to me looking back at Shuhei; he then walked over and sat down next to me. The wind caused my hair to sway as silence to over for a moment.

"What's wrong," Shuhei said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" I asked turning towards him.

"I think you know full well what I mean, you haven't smiled in a week. You've lost your face," he said. I tilted my head at that last statement. I've lost my face? What the heck is that supposed to mean.

"My face?" I questioned.

"Yes your face, it's gone, no emotion no life not anything is left. It's like a blank sheet of paper," he explained. I didn't answer, I had nothing to say; he was right. "You know, it's okay to cry. Yes it's true that as a soul reaper you shouldn't cry but that's just wrong. You're trying to convince yourself that crying won't help you in this situation and that it isn't what Kimiko wants. But do you think that Kimiko wants you to lose your smile and your face? What was she too you," he said. I thought about what he said for a moment and that's when I felt it. A teardrop had rolled down my cheek and others followed.

"She was everything," I cried out in a low tone. Without thinking I rested my head on his shoulder and used my left hand to grab his other shoulder in something like a half hug. "She was the only person who truly knew how I felt. She understood me completely," I said not even bothering to hold back my tears. I let go of his shoulder and sat up then turned towards him.

"You see, my family didn't exactly like me neither did any of the kids that were around. Most of the kids' parents would tell them to stay away from me. Kimiko was the first one to see past my purple hair and such. She helped me and didn't care what others said. She was the first person to ever call me beautiful on the inside and outside. She didn't listen to her parents and stayed with me anyways. My parents didn't like her either but she still came over and we still hung out. She got me through every problem," I explained to Shuhei. Why I was telling him this? I have no idea but it felt nice to get it away from me.

"She must've meant a lot to you, but you know, she wasn't wrong," he said.

"What do you mean," I asked.

"Never mind," he said shaking his head. "Anyways, don't you think she'd like it if you were happy? And did you forget about Renji, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and I? We're all your friends now to," he said and then got up. "So why don't you try to smile again? You do love smiling at the stars don't you?" he asked as an outstretched hand was put in front of my face. I looked up at Shuhei and finally smiled while grabbing his hand with a nod.

"I'm sorry," I said bowing my head when I stood up.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked.

"As my captain I don't think its right to make you worry about me, so I'm sorry about that," I apologized.

"You don't have to apologize for that," he said and I looked up. "When we're not in the office just think of me as your friend not your captain, I'm just doing what a friend would do," he explained with a smile.

"Okay then friend, would you mind walking me home?" I asked.

"Let's go," he said and with that we left the hill. While walking back I realized how beautiful the sky looked. I haven't noticed the stars this whole week as if they had disappeared.

"Beautiful," I mumbled with a slight smile. I noticed that Shuhei was staring at me from the corner of my eye. "What is it?" I asked turning to look at him.

"Nothing," he said shaking his head a little. I tilted my head in confusion but then ignored it.

* * *

"Thank you," I said at the doorstep of my house to Shuhei.

"Don't mention it," he said.

"No seriously, thank you. Not just for walking my home but for saying that stuff to me," I said.

"No problem, see you tomorrow," he said and then left. I walked inside and then did my night routine. I then hopped into bed and fell into a well needed sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! Okay so thats it for chapter 7 hope all my readers liked it! Please review and stuff like that. Don't be afraid to critique my grammar!  
Till next time! Later**


	8. Chapter 8

_Wind blew into my room causing me to wake up. The air suddenly became still as I opened my aqua eyes. The glass sliding door that led to my balcony was open and a shadow cast from the moonlight could be seen. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The person that was out on the balcony began to walk into my room; I could tell it was a man from his body structure. His footsteps were the only things that could be heard in the silent night. He paid no attention to me at all as he advanced towards my dresser. I tried moving but nothing worked. My arms, legs, and any other body part were all paralyzed. Before I knew it the person had taken my choker and left without a trace. I couldn't do anything._

* * *

I woke up to the ringing of the alarm that echoed through my room. I blindly slapped my arm on my bedside table searching for the source of the annoying ring. Sadly I ended up knocking the thing on the floor which ended up in me having to get out my bed to shut the thing off. I scratched the back of my cat ear as I got up with a yawn. It was 4:30 a.m. once again and I was tired. But at least I was able to get a longer sleep thanks to Shuuhei walking me home last night. But man that dream sure was strange.

I was able to lazily walk into the bathroom to start the shower and then waited for the water to become hot. Once the water was hot enough I took off my clothes and stepped into the comforting steamy water. When my shower was finished I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back into my bedroom to change. I put on my usual everyday uniform and sandals before walking over to the dresser where my metal choker usually rested. Shock and panic filled my head when the choker wasn't where I had put it last night. I quickly began to search every part of my room for the thing. Under the furniture, in drawers, anywhere on the floor; I checked all these places but to no avail.

"Damn," I mumbled when I finally came to the conclusion that I wouldn't find it. "Where the hell could that thing have gone," I muttered darting my eyes in every direction of the room. Something then clicked in my head. I had a strange dream that someone came in through the balcony and left with my choker. But I swear it was a dream because if it wasn't I would've jumped out of bed and gotten it but I couldn't move at all.

I sat on my bed trying to think of a way to get through this. I can't not go to work and I certainly can't show up with cat ears and a tail. I know that in case of any type of mishap the head captain had a spare, but how would I get to him? I sighed as I looked over to my closet. Getting up and walking over to the closet I grabbed my cloak and put it on also putting the hood up. Once I was sure that my tail and ears couldn't be seen I took my zanpaktou and left.

"I hate being the suspicious character," I grumbled to myself as I began to flash step as fast as possible toward Yamamoto's office. The thing I was worried of the most was being spotted as a strange person and asked who I was. If it was someone of lower ranks they wouldn't know me and cause a commotion and if it was someone I knew they'd ask why I was covering myself. On the bright side it was early so not many people were about at this hour.

I had to stop when a soul reaper was walking by on guard. I ran into the next left and put my back against the wall. The man was coming close so I ran down the alley I was already in. I let out a sigh of relief when I found out he didn't see me but in the end it just led me to another problem. I was lost. I only know certain paths throughout the soul society that lead me to where I have to go. If I were to take a turn that I don't know then I'll have no idea where I am especially because almost everything looks the same. The only differences are the different barracks and the highest point, Sokyoku Hill. This was possibly the worst case scenario for me right now. If I wander around too much I might be found and if I'm seriously lost who knows how long it'll take me to get to the head captain's office.

Well only one option now; higher grounds here I come. The only downside of this option was being seen by others but I had to take the risk. If I'm spotted sneaking around Yamamoto would soon enough clear everything up as long as my ears and tail aren't seen.

I jumped up on a roof of one of the many buildings of the Seireitei then I began to run again. When I was finally able to find a path that I recognized it was an hour later. Yup, this sucks, now there are some more soul reapers around. There weren't a whole lot of people but it was still worse than nobody. I jumped back down onto the walkway when the coast was clear.

"Excuse me, may I ask who you are?" I flinched from the sudden question that I heard from behind me. I knew this voice though; it was none other than Shuuhei. I slowly turned around though my identity was still safe thanks to the hood of my cloak shrouding my face. I waved my hand and then took off again without a word so he wouldn't recognize my voice. But I knew it wouldn't be this easy because he began to chase after me. "Hey! I asked who you were!" he yelled at me but I just flash stepped ahead. Unfortunately he caught up with me by flash stepping himself. I didn't want to risk getting lost again so the only option was this stupid chase. He is probably faster than me but I had to try to get to my destination before he caught up with me. Then again if I do somehow manage to outrun him he will report this and then I'll be targeted by more than one person plus I don't want to cause a big event just for this.

"Fine, you win," I said finally stopping.

"Rie, is that you?" he asked stopping behind me. Before I could answer I sense another soul reaper about to turn the corner. I quickly turned around, covered his mouth, and flash stepped us in the alley we were right next to.

"Yeah it's me, just stay quiet until this guy passes by," I whispered letting go of him. When the man passed Shuuhei began to talk.

"Why are you wandering around in a cloak?" he asked, crossing his arms in the process.

"Please don't make me answer that. Anyways I just need you to bring me to head Captain Yamamoto's office for something, no questions asked," I said or more like ordered.

"Not until you give me a reason," he said.

"I said no question."

"That wasn't a question."

"Damn, just please I beg of you. If I have a person of higher ups like you leading me around I won't be questioned on why a suspicious person in a cloak is walking around," I begged clasping my hands together. After a short moment of silence he finally sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled causing me to smile.

"Thank you so much, I'll repay you somehow," I said with the smile that he couldn't see. We began to walk towards Yamamoto's office and whenever we'd pass people they'd stare at me but not ask anything because of Shuuhei.

After a long walk we were finally able to reach the office. I knocked on the huge door that led into his office.

"Who is it?" a voice boomed from the inside.

"It's Rie," I replied in a firm voice.

"Come in," he demanded and with that I opened the door. I walked forward and stopped in front of his desk along with Shuuhei. Yamamoto looked up at me and then to Shuuhei. "Captain Hisagi, step outside," he ordered and Shuuhei followed orders by walking out into the hallway.

"I'm assuming you lost it," Yamamoto said as he already noticed why I was wearing a cloak.

"Yeah, well I didn't lose it. It was stolen last night and I couldn't move at all when it happened," I explained.

"Did anyone see you in that form," he questioned.

"No," I growled mostly because of his word choice. I hated when people would speak of me like that. It's not "that form" it's _me._ This is one reason why I hated this man; he's so judgmental to beings that aren't souls in the soul society. I may be a soul in the soul society but since I'm some sort of cat demon in everyone's eyes I'm looked down upon. All I can say about them looking at me the way they do is that it hurts. My family, Yamamoto, and all of central 46; every time they look at me the eyes I see are full of distaste and disgust.

"Good, now come here I have the spare right," he ordered in a stern voice while reaching into his drawer. Without a word I walked forward and waited for him to pull out the choker. When he did pull it out I reached forward to grab it but he pulled it away.

"What is it? You certainly don't want me to be seen like this," I spat.

"You do know the circumstances of using this choker?" he asked and I became more serious.

"Yes I know, the effects on this one wear out at certain times and for the strangest reason if it's wet," I said in complete understanding of the risk with this one. These chokers are extremely difficult to create. I was locked up in my old house for the longest time while my family tried to make the first one. The one that was just stolen is the first and only one with no flaws at all. I know that they are in the process of making another one without flaws but it takes time to get certain metals. The one Yamamoto has is another prototype with the least flaws compared to all the others that were screwed up. I was given the one with no flaws and Yamamoto kept this one in case I somehow lost it.

"You must be extremely careful for this is the only prototype being kept so if you lose this one there is no guarantee that the one being currently created will be finished any time soon," he explained now holding out the choker so I could take it.

"Okay and if I remember correctly the effects wear off at midnight and won't start up again without at least a four hour period of not coming in contact with me, right?" I asked to be sure with my memories of the defected choker. Yamamoto nodded and I took the mini metal prison into my hands. Instead of a grayish silver color this one was pitch black but I didn't mind. I pulled down my hood revealing my cat ears so I could put it on. Once it was on my ears and tail disappeared and I was able to take off my cloak.

On the silent walk with Shuuhei to the barracks I kept wondering who would've stolen my choker. It couldn't have been my family because they do anything to make sure people don't find out same with Captain Yamamoto and central 46. But in any case it had to be one of them. They're the only ones that know about the important of my choker and I doubt a person would sneak into my room just to take a random metal choker and run. Unless maybe…

"Are you listening?" my thoughts were cut off by Shuuhei waving a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked having no idea what he was saying.

"You have to write up another article for your section in the Seireitei Communication," he told me as we just reached the barracks.

"Didn't you already write something down that I said?" I asked not in the mood to write a full article.

"I already used that one in the last issue," he explained before we turned the corner walking towards the office.

"Ugh, what should I write," I mumbled more to myself than to Shuuhei. I began to rub my chin in that thinking way as Shuuhei opened the door. Walking in and to my desk I pulled out some paper and a pen while kicking my legs up on my desk and leaning back in my seat.

"I'd really appreciate it if you stop putting your feet up on the desk," Shuuhei said while pushing my feet off the desk when he passed me. That didn't stop me though because I just stuck them back up on the desk.

"I told you it helps me think," I argued and he just sighed in response. I wanted to get my article done first so I could get the long work out of the way first.

"You usually don't take so long to say something good for the article," he said noticing that I was struggling with coming up with something good for the article.

"Yeah but that all just comes naturally in a conversation, I can't just write this stuff down," I sighed and then looked over at Shuuhei.

"What?" he asked noticing that I was staring at him.

"Let's have a conversation," I said hoping that it would help me find a topic for my article.

"About what?" he asked.

"I don't know something deep and stuff, just ask me a question," I ordered and he sighed but went along with it. Silence befell the room for a moment as Shuuhei tried to think of a conversation topic.

"I got nothing," he finally admitted.

"Hmm, I got this," I said before taking my feet off the desk so I could write down what was currently in my head.

"Here you go," I said handing Shuuhei my article. It was now a few minutes away from sundown and I was done with all my work. I finished my article earlier but decided to give it to him when I was done. Once he finished reading it he smiled which meant he liked it.

"Good job, the new issue will be published two days from now," he informed me and I nodded.

"Okay," I said as I walked over to the window. My favorite part of the day was about to happen. I rested my elbowed on the windowsill as I viewed the horizon that began to change into different shades of orange, pink, and yellow. These three colors spread across the sky as the sun lowered. Then from one instant to the next it was gone and a darker shade of blue was cast across the heavens.

"Are you almost done with your work?" I asked turning around to look at my captain.

"Yeah, soon," he mumbled while writing some stuff down on pieces of paper. "Okay I'm done," he said stacking the papers at the corner of his desk. "Renji, Rangiku, and the others from the night before are planning on having dinner again. They asked me to invite you, so do you want to come?" he asked before we walked out the door. I thought about it for a moment. If I say yes I might forget the time and the choker's effects will wear off. I really wanted to go with them but even if I were to keep track of time I don't want to take any chances.

"No thanks, I'm still plenty tired and I got something to do, maybe next time," I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"Okay," he said without arguing and with that we left. Once he brought me to my house I told him to say hi to the others and then he left.

I walked inside and locked the door so nobody could just walk inside. Before even entering my room I had taken my choker off because this one was itchy. It's seriously hard to get used to these things; I remember the first one gave me an irritation on my neck but I was given cream to make it better. I walked into my room and set the choker on the dresser as I began to search through one of my drawers.

"Found it," I said pulling out the special cream that I applied to my neck. The itching was immediately relieved. I then checked the time which was 8 o'clock. "Four hours," I muttered and then put my choker back on.

I had come to the conclusion earlier that the person had no idea about the importance of the actual use of the choker. The only reason that person stole it was for the value of the metal. As I said earlier it's hard to get certain metals used to make the choker because the metal used to create it is very valuable and rare. I'm not sure how they found out I had this metal but I am certain that it wasn't because of its special importance. Well… I know where I'm going tonight.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter!  
I apologize for the long wait but it's out so... happy days!  
You'll find out what Rie wrote for her article in the next chapter! Please rate and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

I was walking on a path in the Rukon district to my destination. I've only been walking for about thirty minutes so I still had a good three and a half hours left till midnight. Few dim lanterns and torches lit the streets and there weren't many people lurking around either. Every now and then I'd pass someone just leaning against a wall or sitting on a bench. Those people would stare at me though I did have my cloak on so they didn't know of me being a soul reaper.

After another couple minutes of walking I had finally found what I was looking for. It was an underground room that I had heard of. Every night people would bring valuable stuff here and sell it to other people or auction it off like a black market and it just so happened that tonight was an auctioning night. But of course I'm not planning on paying for something that's mine, instead I'll just wait until the right moment.

I walked pass a few people and sat down on one of the benches. It would be hopeless to look around for the man that stole my choker since I never got a good look at him. All I could do was hope and wait for my choker to appear in that auction. If it doesn't come by midnight then I'm out of here.

"Hello everyone, I hope you all brought an exceptional amount of money tonight because we have a very special item as our finale," the auctioneer said from behind his podium causing me to look up at the front. I guess I'm staying; he practically gave that one away. I just hope this thing won't take too long because I'm tired.

As the night dragged on many items were sold. Various swords and weapons, items from the world of the living, jewelry, and many other special objects were up for auction. I had to say a lot of the things sold here were nice items but I bet at least more than half of this stuff was stolen. Anyways as the auction was about to come to a close they began to bring out the last item.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, what you've all been waiting for. The final item of the night is this choker made of precious and valuable metals like the very rare norite," the auctioneer announced as my choker was revealed in front of everyone. The guy just had to say the metal that it contained didn't he. Well I guess nobody would buy it if they weren't told which metals were in the choker. It's time for me to interrupt.

"Excuse me," I said standing up looking at my choker which rested on a cushion that was placed on a table.

"Yes?" the auctioneer asked as all eyes were on me now.

"I believe that belongs to me and I would very much like it back," I told him as I begun walking up to the stage to obtain my choker. The man behind the podium took a slight step back with a visible gulp. "Isn't that cute? You think once it's stolen and brought here there's no way that someone would go searching for what they lost," I said. There were shocked gasps from all around me. They knew it was all stolen items that they're buying but they wouldn't have thought that someone would ever find this place.

"Guards!" the auctioneer yelled looking to the side where said guards were. About five men ran towards me to try and take me away so I simply flash stepped up to the stage leaving them dumbfounded when their target had disappeared. The auctioneer dropped his gavel and took a few steps back.

"This thing isn't for sale anymore," I said and grabbed the choker. "And as for you," I glared at the auctioneer "I don't care who brought this to you but you better tell him that he won't get any cash.

"Would you rather like it if I were to sell it for you and you can get the money?" he asked hesitantly in a shaky voice.

"Don't screw with me," I told him banging my fist on the table. "Even if this thing was plastic I still won't sell it. It has a certain value to me and at I am not to get rid of it at any costs," the anger in my voice was evident.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized raising his shaky hands in front of his face in case I were to attack. Man this guy is such a wimp.

"Whatever, just don't come after me again," I sighed and began to walk off the stage. I stopped for a moment and looked back at the auctioneer "you're a very lucky man." He didn't say anything but just watched me along with everyone else as I walked away.

I walked back up to ground level and now began to search for a place where I could switch these chokers without anyone noticing. It was about 11:30 now so I didn't have much time. Jeez that was the longest auction ever. I walked behind a house and looked around to make sure that nobody was around. When the coast was clear I quickly switched out the chokers. When that was over I walked home and ended up so tired that I didn't even change before dropping on the bed and falling asleep.

* * *

It was the next day now and I was in the office. I was… resting my eyes when Shuuhei entered the room. I quickly sat up from my laying down position on the couch and looked back at him.

"Morning," I said while rubbing the back of my head. He gave me a questioned look "what is it?" I asked.

"I thought you wanted to catch up on sleep last night?" he said walking over to his desk.

"Yeah but that obviously failed," I said with a yawn and then walked over to my own desk. "What about you? In a way we should be playing opposite roles," I told him while taking some papers from the corner of my desk.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well you said you were going to dinner with the others last night. Shouldn't that mean that you'd be hung over or something?" I asked remembering the last time we had dinner. The next morning he had entered the office with messy hair and a tired expression.

"I didn't drink anything last night," he simply stated. That's strange, I would've thought for sure that he would drink compared to last time when he had who knows how many cups of sake. I just shrugged it off and began to work.

* * *

Later on in the afternoon Shuuhei had brought me the ramen that I have come to love. I was sitting on the couch looking out the window just slurping my ramen.

"Have you ever wondered what type of life you lived when you were alive?" I asked out of the blue. Usually when I think about things my mind just wanders off to random thoughts. This is what I sometimes think of though I never really go deep into it.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired without actually giving an answer.

"I don't know, it's just so strange don't you think? I mean, we live in this world with parents and siblings yet we've forgotten our lives when we were living. I just wonder if we had different relatives than those we have now, and what type of life we lived you know? Maybe I was a thug or very successful, very rich or super poor. If we're here than it must mean that a konso had been performed on our souls but if that's true than how did soul reapers first come into this world? If there were never soul reapers to begin with then how did we come here? It's like a never ending cycle," I explained setting down the now empty bowl on the table.

"Your thinking too deep into this, even if you find out it's not like it's going to change who you are now," Shuuhei told me, for once I got him to stop working. Usually he'd keep working while listening but on this question he had stopped to seriously listen. So in a way it did interest him.

"I guess you're right," I sighed "I think I just wanted to know if I had a good life; parents that treated me nicely and good friends. I know it won't change me but I'd be happy to know that I had a nice life," I explained with a smile on my face. "Anyways I should get back to work," I said stretching my arms out and then standing up.

* * *

Another day had gone by and it was morning again. I had gotten a better sleep last night so I wasn't almost falling asleep during work. Shuuhei already came in this morning but was rushing in and out of the office. It was a busier day than normal; not just for Shuuhei but for me as well. Paper after paper would come and stack itself on top of my desk. I really wish something interesting would happen so I wouldn't have to do this stupid paper work. If only I was allowed to train with the other soul reapers. The third seat of this division is always on missions so I can't ask him and I definitely can't just waltz on over to another division without any permission.

Shuuhei just rushed out the room so he won't be coming back for another couple of minutes. I might as well have a conversation with my zanpaktou. I got up from my chair behind the desk and walked over to the middle of the room and sat on the floor. I laid my zanpaktou out in front of me and took in a deep breath while closing my eyes. Upon reopening my eyes I found myself in my inner world with the light blue clouds and purple bridges. The sky was still half and half with one side being an orange glow and the other a starry night sky. I looked down off the edge of the cliff to see the blood red sea.

"Rie, I thought I told you to come back sooner," I heard from behind me. I spun around to find my zanpaktou's spirit, Dokusha.

"Sorry about that," I said with a nervous laugh while scratching the back of my neck.

"Don't worry, I know you've been quite busy," he said with a laugh. I dropped my arms with a sigh.

"Well if you understand then why do you got to say that?" I asked and he just shrugged. "Do you think it's possible to have a picnic in here?" I asked looking around.

"We can sit down but I don't think a food or blanket is necessary," he said.

"Works with me," I said and then sat down. "Wow, I never realized how soft these clouds are," I said in awe while stroking the cloud with my hand. "Is it possible to sleep in here?" I asked which brought up another question. "Do you sleep?"

"Yes I do sleep and it is possible for you to sleep in here too. Though I do recommend not doing so," he said while sitting down across from me.

"Fine," I sighed. "Hey, do you ever get kind of mad because I rarely release your shikai form or bankai?" I asked looking over to him.

"Mad isn't the proper word. I would say more like bored," he said looking off in the distance. He smiled and looked back at me "I don't care though, I understand your situation and we still get to talk like this so I'm fine," he said.

"You're so kind, well... to me at least" I said with a grin. I crawled over to him and ruffled his hair. "You're not only kind but your hair is soft too," I said. He just sighed and tried to get me to stop messing with his hair.

* * *

Before long Shuuhei walked into the office making me leave my inner world. I didn't want to leave but I had no choice. I turned around and looked up at him from the floor. In his hand was the new edition of the Seireitei Communication that was just published. I grabbed my zanpaktou and stood up.

"So did the others in the editing room like it?" I asked referring to my article.

"Yeah," he answered and then handed me the magazine while walking past me. I flipped through the magazine and then stopped on the page that held my article. I walked over to the couch and sat down before reading aloud.

"Recklessness… in some situations it's possible that recklessness is a good thing but most of the time it isn't. Take your time and don't rush into things. If you do rush it's just like throwing your life away. If you're here right now than that means you must have some sort of purpose or reason. So don't just go throwing your life out the window because of some stupid mistake," I sighed when I finished reading.

"Thinking about Kimiko?" Shuuhei asked.

"Yeah, it's ridiculous really. I say all this stuff and I'm able to write it on a piece of paper but I couldn't even save my own friend's life," I said and then looked out the window. I frowned at the sight. Gray clouds covered the sky indicating a chance of rain. They've been up there all day and blocked my view of the sunrise. "I just thought maybe if she told me I could've done something," I sighed.

"Well if she didn't tell you don't you think it was for a reason?"

"Yes of course I do but still… ugh I can't think clearly right now," I let out a frustrated sigh while grabbing my head. After that we continued on with our normal daily work. Shuuhei rushed out the office a couple more times while I just did paperwork and such. It never rained though the clouds were still there, now it was only a matter of time until it did.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Shuuhei asked standing in front of my desk. For once he had finished before me and we both had no idea how that happened. I guess it's just hard for me to concentrate with so many clouds threatening to get us wet.

"Yep, let's go," I said standing up stretching out my back. We walked through the halls and out the barracks. When we were about half way to my house it began to pour. Just my luck I would supposed, at least I didn't have that damn prototype choker that wears off when it gets wet.

Anyways we began to run towards my house while trying to cover our heads with out hands. But sadly by the time we got to my place we were completely drenched. I let out a laugh as I tried to get my key to open the door.

"Man, I always have this type of luck. Anyways do you want to come inside and wait until the rain let's up?" I asked as I finally got the key in the lock.

"Sure, I wouldn't want to get a cold," he answered. I smiled when the door opened and let him inside.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter! I seriously had no idea what to fill in this chapter after the first part in the auction hall so I kind of improvised.  
I know the ending is cliffy but whatever, your all just going to have to wait!  
Please review! Till next chapter  
Isn't Bleach logic so confusing?  
~Zella**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait on this chapter but it's finally here! Anyways I don't know why I'm finally doing this but... Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Bleach or any of the Bleach characters other than Rie and her Zanpakuto. Now... on with the story!**

* * *

Do you know how in some stories characters fall on top of each other by accident? Yeah well that's not even the half of it. And no I don't mean a person walking in on the two characters in the story. Oh no, this incident is even worse and all because of some stupid rain.

It all started when I invited Shuuhei inside because the rain didn't look like it would let up.

"Here, dry yourself off, I don't want my floors getting any more wet than I've made them," I said, tossing Shuuhei a towel. He thanked me and dried himself off before stepping off the mat at the entrance. "I'm going to take a bath so don't step anywhere near my room. You can do whatever you want other than that. If you get hungry feel free to help yourself to some food in the kitchen and if the rain stops you can leave," I told him before walking towards my room.

Once in my room I locked the door and took off my choker. I rubbed my kitty ears as I walked towards the bathroom. I put the water on and waited for the bathtub to fill. When the tub filled with hot water I stripped down and slowly stepped in the water. The water felt so calm and relaxing. Once fully in the bath I rested my head back and shut my eyes.

After about an hour the water began to cool causing me to wake up. I hadn't even realized that I fell asleep in the first place. I shrugged it off as I got out the water. I wrapped a towel around my hair and then another towel around my body. After that I walked out into my room.

"I could really go for a banana right now," I mumbled to myself. I walked out my room with a yawn while making my way towards the kitchen. It was still raining and because of that I felt like I was forgetting something. Whatever, I'll remember it soon enough.

With closed eyes I walked into the kitchen. While grabbing a banana I decided to have some tea. I set the kettle on the stove and sat down. The yummy banana was gone after a minute as I waited for my tea. When it was finally done I set my cup of tea on a tray and began to walk back towards my room. That's when it all happened. It was too fast for me to react to anything.

While walking out the kitchen I closed my eyes with a yawn and ended up bumping into something or more like someone. That's when I finally remembered that Shuuhei is here. The tray of tea flew from my hands and onto the floor with the clashing sound of my teacup breaking. I had to use one hand to hold the towel around my body and the other to hold the towel on my head so I couldn't stop myself from falling at all.

That wasn't even the worst part. Because both of my hands were occupied, something else then just falling on top of him happened. My head jerked forward causing my lips to accidentally crash into his. So there we were, on the floor; me in a towel with Shuuhei underneath me… unintentionally kissing. Well this couldn't get any worse. Both of us were too overcome by shock to move for the first couple of seconds to move. But soon enough we were able to realize our current situation and I immediately got off of him.

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry." Both of our faces were flushed with embarrassment. I turned away from him not being able to look at him while talking.

"I-it's fine, I had my eyes closed as well so I didn't see you coming."

"No, seriously I'm sorry. I completely forgot you were even here. Rain tends to mess with my head sometimes. It makes me feel all slow and I can't think straight," I told him.

"I see… so are you going to change?" he said now looking over at me. I looked down at myself and noticed I was still in a towel.

"Well… this is just not my day," I said trying my best not to freak out. "I'll be right back." I got off the floor and rushed into my room with a slam of the door. Before going to change I just leaned against door while locking it. My hand found its way to my chest trying to calm my rapid heartbeat. Man that was close. Luckily I was able to hide my tail and ears with the towels but still what would've happened if I had changed and walked out there with my ears and tail all visible and stuff. I don't like the rain at all, and yes I'm putting the blame all on the rain.

I let out a sigh when my heart finally slowed down to its normal beat. Pushing myself off the door I went to my closet and got out my pajamas. When they were on I brushed my long, slightly damp, lilac hair. Before leaving my room I was sure to put on my choker concealing my catlike features. Now down to the kitchen to clean up that tea. Poor tea, and it was going to be so good too.

When I got back to where the accident occurred I saw that it was already cleaned. Raising a questioning eyebrow I made my way into the kitchen to find Shuuhei throwing the broken teacup away.

"You didn't have to clean it up by yourself. I would've done it," I said while walking into the kitchen.

"Its fine, I have nothing to do anyways," he shrugged it off. There was an awkward silence. We didn't exactly know what to say to each other. Well my mind sure was set. Forget anything ever happened and continue as if it was any other normal day.

"Okay then I'm not complaining, want something to eat? I don't think the rain is going to let up, so you might as well eat here," I suggested since it was already getting pretty late. I doubt he ate anything while I was in the bath since no pans or anything seemed to be used.

"Sure I guess so," he answered. Without another word I walked over to the pantry and pulled out some rice and filled a pot with some water to cook the rice. When I put that on the stove I searched the fridge for something to go with the rice.

"Do you eat shrimp?" I asked pulling some shrimp out and he nodded in response. I set up a different pot for the shrimp and started cooking. Soon enough the food was ready and I set up two plates as Shuuhei was just sitting at the table waiting. I placed the rice in the middle of the plate and then let the shrimps make a circle around the rice. "Bon appetite," I said in a French accent jokingly while setting the plates on the table. He let out a slight chuckle as I sat down at my seat across from him.

We ate in semi-silence sometimes trying to start a conversation but it would just end after a short phrase or answer was given. The incident from before was obviously still on both of our minds though we didn't try to bring it up. We just thought about it. It kept circling in my head. I know I said that I'd forget about it but how could I? I was wrapped in a towel, I fell on Shuuhei, and our lips met. How could I be so careless? _'His lips felt so soft though' _I shook my head at the thought. Why the hell would I be thinking about something like that?

Soon enough, when dinner was over, we began to be more normal. Our conversing had expanded from simple answers to whole explanations. Right now we were sitting in the living room on the couch just chatting. The rain still hasn't stopped and probably won't all night.

"Rie?" Shuuhei said snapping me out of my thoughts while waving a hand in front of my face. I guess I zoned out because it seemed that he was saying my name for a while. "Are you okay? You seemed to be thinking about something?"

"Just thinking about Kimiko," I sighed while looking up at the ceiling.

"I thought you were okay now," he said with slight worry hinted in his voice. I shifted my position on the couch so I would be sitting crisscross.

"I am, it's just that I like to think about some memories sometimes." After I said that silence consumed the room, the only thing that was heard was the sound of rain hitting the windows and roof. Luckily it wasn't an awkward silence. It was actually a calm silence that I think we both needed at the moment. Another couple of minutes went by with complete silence before I became curious about something. "Shuuhei," I said to get the man's attention.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Your zanpakuto, what's its name?" I suddenly asked. I already knew that every zanpakuto has a name but I never knew any other name's of zanpakuto other than my own.

"Why do you ask?" he asked before answering my question.

"Hmm," I took a moment to think about my answer to not make it sound like it's my goal to figure out all the names of every zanpakuto. "It interests me. The zanpakuto are generated from their soul reaper, which means they have personalities that somehow, in a way, match the owner's. I just want to know what yours is named and possibly what its like," I explained truthfully. Even though I know Shuuhei, I also know that people hide things but zanpakuto are a part of the owner's personality even if it's just a little bit.

"Its name is Kazeshini," he said with a look of… disgust?

"Death wind," I mumbled the meaning of Kazeshini's name. It was interesting to know that Shuuhei's zanpakuto had a connection with death. It took me a while but I think I understood soon enough. Everyone has dark or angry feelings and Shuuhei probably just keeps them inside a lot.

"Mine is Dokusha," I told him so we could be even with info giving.

"Doesn't that mean reader?" he asked and I nodded in response.

"Yeah, well actually his name is Kokoro no Dokusha which means reader of mind or heart. The name has more to do with my zanpakuto's ability than with his appearance or personality. Well I guess you could say that it has something to do with me being good at reading expressions and such," I explained though this time it wasn't the full truth. There is something else about my zanpakuto, which is the reason why I don't like using my shikai.

After our little zanpakuto conversation it was getting late so we decided to go to sleep. The rain was still falling which meant that Shuuhei would be staying overnight. Since that was the case I led him to the guest room. It was a simple room; a bed, a table, some shelves, and a door leading to the guest bathroom. After he thanked me for the use of the room I went to my own room and locked the door.

Once successfully locking the door I took of my choker off and put it in the drawer of my dresser. After that I went to my bathroom to brush my teeth and then jumped into bed. I didn't fall asleep straight away; instead I just stared up at the ceiling. There was a smile on my face. '_It feels nice to have company' _I thought. _'Even though I end up falling on the man and then accidently kiss him…' _my thoughts trailed off as I let out a quiet chuckle. After that I just kept staring up at the ceiling. I would've tried to fall asleep but the damn rain kept me awake till about two o' fucking clock in the morning.

I don't usually curse but having to waking up early in the morning isn't fun when I only got to sleep at two. Only two and a half damn hours of sleep, just great. Anyways, when I woke up it wasn't raining but I could tell that gray clouds were scattered across the sky even though the sun hadn't risen yet.

When I was dressed I put my choker on, grabbed my zanpakuto, and made my way to the kitchen. After a quick breakfast I realized something. I already knew when I woke up that Shuuhei was here but the thing that I didn't realize till now was that I didn't have to get up early. If Shuuhei is here that means that he could've just "escorted" me to the barracks at the time he usually goes. Whatever, I'm already up so might as well just go to the barracks. But before leaving I left a note on the kitchen counter telling Shuuhei that he could use whatever he wants to make breakfast. After securing the note down to the counter by putting a fork on top of it, which was the first thing I saw, I left.

* * *

Once I got to the barracks I sat on the couch and looked out the window. The sun still wouldn't rise for about thirty minutes so there was no point in me staring out the window. Even though I was tired I didn't want to sleep. I'm not sure why though. Hopefully the day will go by quickly so I can just go back home and fall on my bed.

Slowly getting up from the couch I made my way to Shuuhei's desk. As I looked down at all the papers stacked on the desk I saw the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under a folder. It struck me as odd since Shuuhei would either stack his papers or put them in folders. I lifted the folder and pulled the paper out from underneath before placing the folder back on the desk's surface. It was a letter from the head captain himself. A look of disgust crossed my features when thinking about the man's stern gaze but my eyes soon looked back down at the paper. I know that I shouldn't be reading things that weren't addressed to me but whoever said I couldn't read things that didn't involve me. I would've put the letter back if it wasn't for me spotting my name in the fine writing on the paper.

Once I read over it I couldn't believe it. It was a letter asking Shuuhei to keep a close eye on me for any suspicious actions. It also requested that he stop letting me "abuse" his position by not taking me home anymore. Apparently ever since I got to these barracks more people had seen me. What does the geezer expect when placing me in a lieutenant's position? There were already rumors about a purple-haired soul reaper that travels through the barracks before I even came to the ninth division. The letter also noted that if I do anything dangerous or suspicious Shuuhei is to tell the head captain and I will be taken from the ninth division for a week and into a prison cell to reflect on what I did. What the hell? I didn't even _do _anything!

Is the head captain really getting that worried about my identity or is he just going insane? There was also something else that bothered me about this. Why stay in the ninth division? If I have been seen more often in this division than any others shouldn't I be sent to a new one? Why is Yamamoto getting so distrusting of me? It's not like he trusted me all that much before but this is starting to get ridiculous. I didn't even want to become a soul reaper for crying out loud!

At that thought my hands gripped the paper causing the sides of the paper to crumble. There's no avoiding the fact that I read this thing now. Not that I cared; because right when my hands gripped the paper I stood up and stomped towards the door. Since Shuuhei actually walked me home yesterday it must mean that he had only gotten the letter yesterday. He was probably planning on telling me today that he can't take me home anymore. I'm not even abusing his position, he doesn't even mind walking me around. At least I don't think he does. Anyways I got a very important conversation to have with a certain old man right now. I slid the door of the office open with a slam and continued to walk down the corridors to the front gate of the barracks. The letter was still gripped in one hand as my other hand was balled up in a fist at my side.

Screw the damn rules! I don't care if it's a fucking hour after I'm supposed to stay in the office or busiest time of day I'm walking to that office of his to give him a piece of my mind. I heard that this guy became somewhat nicer and more bendable on the rules of the Seireitei when Ichigo rescued Rukia and the whole Aizen incident but to me that seems like a load of crap.

* * *

The soul reapers on patrol all stared at me as I angrily rushed past them towards the barracks of the first division. Sometimes one of the soul reapers on patrol would ask what division I'm from since they'd never seen me before. I would reply with an angry "ninth division" without stopping. They didn't try stopping me when they saw the zanpakuto that my right hand was now rested on. But someone was finally able to stop me since it was somewhat of a surprise to see him early in the morning. It was Renji probably on his way to the sixth division's barracks.

"Rie? Where are you going and why don't you have anyone with you? It's already past six," he asked but once he did I just kept walking. Sadly I wasn't lucky enough as the redhead grabbed my shoulder to stop me, which I eventually did.

"I'm going to the head captain's office to have a talk," I mumbled.

"Why? Did he want to talk to you about something?" Renji asked me and I just shook my head. "Then what is it?"

"Rules! All these damn rules! I'm so sick of it. I'm just a bird locked in the cage known as the Seireitei. You know how I feel about authority and rules. It's been eating at me forever and I've finally had it! I can't take it anymore. The head captain has doubts about me and doesn't trust me. I never even did anything to the Seireitei. The only thing I did was try to fly out of the cage but the owner just keeps shoving me back in and each time he does he either adds something or takes something to make sure I don't try anything again," I explained to Renji who was surprised at my tone and raise in voice.

"What do you mean adds or takes something?" Renji asked the only question that could escape his lips at the moment. There were obviously plenty more questions but those were the only words that left his mouth.

"If I'm the bird and Yamamoto is the owner then think of it like this. I flew out of the cage once so he clipped my wings, I flew out a second time so he chained me to the perch in my cage," I explained. My voice was lowered in volume now but the angry tone remained. Before Renji could say anything another surprising guest appeared. It was Shuuhei with a questioned look on his face. It seemed to me that he heard my whole explanation before I even noticed him. I fully turned towards him and held up the slightly crumpled letter in front of my face and his eyes widened when he realized what it was.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all liked it! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the first part. I seriously apologize for the long wait for this chapter so I hope you can find it all in your hearts to forgive me. Sorry for any grammar issues and for any Oocness**

**As for Rie's zanpakuto (and I realized that I've been spelling zanpakuto wrong so I changed it :D) The full name is indeedingly Kokoro no Dokusha. Which means "Reader of Mind" so I guess it's kind've a give away on the ability... or it is ;) Anyways I looked up the translation for reader of mind on the translator in my phone. The result was Kokoro no Dokusha but now I realized (thanks to watching subbed anime) that kokoro can also mean heart so it's slightly confusing. Unless of course I'm the one that's wrong which is also possible.**

**This has probably been the longest a/n so far... Well I hope I get the next chapter out sooner! BYE :D **


	11. Chapter 11

"So Shuuhei were you able to find any interesting information about me in my house? Am I plotting something?" I growled at the man who had just arrived on the scene.

"Rie, I-"

"Don't call me by that name," I snapped at him. "Do you even know what my name means?" I asked him and he slowly shook his head. "What about you Renji? Do you know the meaning of my name?" I asked the redhead and he also shook his head. "It means valued blessing and I hate it. To be called something by your parents that they don't believe. They gave me that name yet they don't believe it. I'm no valued blessing in my family," I told them with anger still present in my tone. "The only reason I'm here is because they were afraid."

After I said that sentence, silence. The three of us just stood there. Me with my eyes on the ground while the other two just looked at me. The silence was finally broken when I spoke.

"Anyways I'm going to go have that talk with Yamamoto," I mumbled and then flash stepped away. I wasn't going to get off easily though. The next thing I knew was that the two were flash stepping behind me trying to tell me to stop but I didn't listen. I just kept going towards the office of the old man. It didn't take me long until I was at the door and I had pushed any type of manners aside as I slammed the door open.

"Genryusai Yamamoto," I growled at the man with much disrespect.

"Have you forgotten your manner young lady?" he said in his stern voice with eyes narrowed at me but I didn't even flinch.

"Captain Yamamoto we're sorry we tried to stop her but…" Renji stopped talking when I stuck my hand out in front of him.

"This doesn't involve either of you," I told them while looking back at them but then returned my gaze back to Yamamoto.

"I'd like you to explain this letter. I don't understand why I must be put under even more watch. You're the one who moved me to those barracks so why not just take me out of the ninth division if I've been seen more? What am I even saying? Just kick me out of this place for good," I growled at him.

"You know I cannot have you leave the Seireitei," was his only answer before he turned his glare onto Shuuhei. "She wasn't supposed to find that later. You can't be so careless captain Hisagi."

"Leave him out of this!" I snapped. "If I found it then I found it. If anything you should be blaming that stupid rule of having to be at the barracks so damn early in the morning. Maybe if I didn't arrive so early I wouldn't be bored out of my mind to sit at Shuuhei's desk," I told him.

"Those are the rules because you can't be seen by too many people," he simply answered once more. It made me angry. He didn't want to give me full explanations. He just says the smallest little reason that comes to mind.

"My last complaint. Why the hell do you suspect that I am planning anything against the Seireitei! I wouldn't do something like that and you know it! Even if my father asked me to I would refuse!" I yelled at him. I couldn't hold it in I just had to raise my voice.

"That's enough!" the old man finally snapped. "You know full well that I can't trust you. You're nothing but a black cat that brings bad luck. A disgusting demon that shouldn't be raising its voice at its superior," he explained coldly. This angered me to know end but this time I didn't have an outburst.

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to make any references to me being some sort of demon but you can?" I said smugly while pointing a thumb to the two behind me. "You set such a great example," I sarcastically stated. "Let me tell you one thing. I am no demon. I was only believed to be one because of legend. I only am what I am. I haven't ever hurt my family though they still feared me." I would've continued but an alarm suddenly went off as a voice rung through the halls.

"This is an emergency. The Seireitei is under attack!"

"Yamamoto before you do or say anything I want to tell you the thing I had wanted to say from the beginning." My voice couldn't be heard when a loud explosion sounded off not too far from the office. But I was still able to mouth the words to him. His eyes widened when he read my lips but before any response could come from him I had turned to leave. Either way I look at it, I'm a soul reaper. I have a zanpakuto, which means I also have duties so I must protect this place; even if I hate it. And I had a bad feeling about the people who were attacking the Seireitei.

Renji and Shuuhei had already left ahead of me so I was behind trying my best to flash step towards the scene. I arrived at Sokyoku Hill where the attackers were. When I saw everything that was happening I couldn't quite process it at first. Renji and Shuuhei were fighting their opponents and Ikkaku and Yumichika were also there fighting as well. It seemed that they were the only ones at the hill so far. But that isn't why I stood still. It was more because of who the attackers were. But deep down, I wasn't surprised at all.

"What the hell! Why are you attacking this place… father!" I yelled across the battlefield at the man who was currently fighting Shuuhei with ease. Every battle pretty much stopped as the four soul reapers look at me in surprise. My father looked over at me and glared.

"I've been planning this all along. I thought you hated it here anyways. Didn't you want to leave? I'm just doing you a favor," he told me, completely ignoring Shuuhei who he was just fighting.

"A favor? I don't care if you take me away from here but attacking these people isn't no damn favor if I ever knew one," I spat at him. He began taking some steps towards me.

"Come on, you don't like this place so why not join me and take over?" he said now trying to negotiate. I can't believe this man! He hates me just as much as I hate him so why in the world should he be asking me for help? The others all looked over at me as my dad reached his hand out to me so I could shake it.

"Like hell I will," I growled while slapping his hand away.

"I knew you wouldn't. I guess I'll just have to fight you then," he said while readying his twin daggers. I had my hand on the hilt of my zanpakuto but I didn't unsheathe it. He then lunged forward and all I did was dodge though it wasn't completely easy. And that's how our battle kept going. He would attack and I would try dodging but I never attacked.

"Rie, what are you doing? Attack already!" I heard Renji yell as he fought with his opponent. I looked over to him and didn't say anything because I had to dodge another attack.

**Shuuhei's POV (I know it's never his POV but just bare with me)  
**I watched as Rie kept dodging attacks from her father. Even though her hand was on her zanpakuto she never drew it. I was about to go help her but a hand was put in front of me. It was head captain Yamamoto.

"Don't go," he told me while watching the one-sided battle.

"Why not? Why isn't she attacking?" I asked with a slight hint of worry in my voice.

"She won't attack because it isn't in her nature to do so," he simply told me.

"What are you talking about it isn't in her nature?" I asked while looking at him surprised.

"That girl is a pacifist. She doesn't like fighting people and she can barely tolerate violence but she doesn't let that side of her show so much," he explained to me. That didn't make any sense. How could she be a pacifist?

"But she fought Ikkaku once didn't she?" I questioned recalling a story I heard.

"She did fight him because he requested it but like now she didn't attack," he said.

"If she won't attack then we have to go help her," I told him while trying my best not to be disrespectful. I was about to go over to her battle but once again he stopped me.

"Let her fight. If she truly wants to protect this place she will use her zanpakuto."

**Rie's POV (and it shall hopefully stay this way)  
**I slid back in the dirt and finally stopped as my father paused to take a breath. I hate fighting. It's true, I do hate it but I've only fought for things I love. What I love is life itself. So if I end up killing him it's just self-contradictory. But if I don't fight back he might kill the others. He might kill Shuuhei.

Why is it that the thought of Shuuhei dying strikes me more than anyone else? I shook the thought out of my head and directed my attention back to my father. It didn't seem like he was going to attack yet so I had a little bit of time left to decide. But I think I know what my decision will be already. I closed my eyes and sighed as I unsheathed my zanpakuto.

"You leave me no choice. You know how much I hate this but you've pushed me to my limit. I hope you're prepared," I said and then opened my eyes while whispering, "eavesdrop, Dokusha."

When those words left my mouth my zanpakuto took it's shikai form. The one sword became twin katana but in different colors. The one in my right hand became pure black with small shining dots scattered on the blade like stars in the night sky while the one in my left hand was an orange pinkish color resembling the evening sunset. A gray chain that was as long as my body connected the two katana. But the chain had more of a purpose than just keeping those two katana attached. A part of the chain was in my mouth as my teeth were biting down as hard as possible on it just hoping the chain would break.

"Now," I said in a muffled voice because of the chain in my mouth. I pointed the black katana at him as I let the other stay at my side. "No more holding back," I mumbled as I glared at him. When those words leave my mouth I always become dead serious, nothing more than my opponent and I exist in my world now. No more words would leave my mouth and my mind would know how to attack unlike before when I only dodged.

Without any more delay I ran forward at full speed and began fighting my father. My fighting style is somewhat different from other soul reapers though because of my shikai form. Since the chain is in my mouth I can let go of my katana if needed. When my katana and my father's dagger would clash I just let go of it and swung my head back causing it to swing upward and also causing my father to get of balance. Once he was off balance I chose that opportunity to attack with the katana that was still held in my other hand. It's true the battle was still one sided, the only difference is that the stronger person switched.

But then again I was also at another advantage other than being able to attack now. I knew. His every move, his next strategy, his plan; I knew it all. In it's shikai form Dokusha has the ability to eavesdrop on a person's mind. Thanks to that I would know my father's move right when he thought it up. This ability can't go deep into the mind though. It only allows me to hear thoughts, which are held in the cortex of the brain, or outermost layer of the brain.

"I see you really are serious," my father spoke and I didn't respond. "I guess I must become as serious as you are for this to be a fair fight," he said and then threw his two daggers up in the air as they began to morph together. His daggers weren't a zanpakuto. It was just this strange ability that he was able to come up with though I've never exactly seen the second stage of his weapon.

It turned out to be a double-edged sword. The length of the blade was a little over half of his height and the width of it was most likely three to four inches. There were some black markings in the center of the blade but other than that there was nothing that looked special about it.

When it seemed that he was ready I lunged towards him. I still had the upper hand but it seemed that he was much stronger than before. We were now locked blade to blade but I could tell that I won't last much longer against his strength. I let go of both of my katana and quickly jumped back before his sword came crashing to the ground. I then grabbed the opposite katana causing the chain to form an X.

Now running forward I swiftly jumped up onto the flat part of the blade. My father struggled to move the sword from under me but at that moment I released an excessive amount of spiritual pressure. While he kept struggling to get his sword out from under me I clenched my teeth even harder. Soon enough, it broke. The chain snapped and along with it my choker did. My anger just flowed out of me at that moment and that always causes the choker to break. The next thing I did was slash my father's stomach, left leg, and right arm; rendering him immobile. He fell to the ground breathing heavily as I stood before him with my cat ears and tail showing.

"You… were never… supposed to… show those features," my father weakly told me. "You know what'll… happen now… don't you?" he asked while holding his stomach with his good arm.

"Maybe I do maybe I don't," I answered. "I remember all my life those words you told me. They rang through my head almost everyday and because of that I never had the courage to even show my best friend," I paused for a moment. "They'll hate you, you'll be unloved by them all, you're a demon," I repeated the words I heard so long ago. I then sat down in front of my father and wept.

"You realize now that they won't love you," he said while watching tears roll down my face. But I shook my head.

"No," I sniffled. "I always hated it. How both you and mother told me that you loved me at first. It broke me because I knew what you really felt. You were afraid and because of that you lied so I wouldn't do anything. That's also why I wasn't allowed in public. You didn't like it when other people saw this appearance because they were also afraid so you hid that fact. And then since the moment you realized I couldn't go in public like this, you've been rough on me. I know that you hate me as well. So because of all that, I'm sad. I'm sorry I'm unlovable, father." After that explanation I stood up and wiped my tears away. "I shouldn't be saying such stupid things. Because now, I hate you to," I said, my voice now completely serious.

"Now," I told him while returning my zanpakuto back to normal and sheathing it. "Get the hell out of here and take the fifty hiding assassins with you. I never want to see you again," I said in a monotonous voice.

When I turned around the people that the others were fighting were already defeated and everyone was staring at me. I wasn't sure what to expect and truthfully speaking. I was afraid. Were my father's words true? Will they hate me as well? Will they be disgusted with this form of mine that is known to be of a demon? It was silent and that was killing me. I just wish someone would say something.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, I'm sorry about the cliffyish ending. I know this chapter took a while to get out, so I also apologize for that. Sadly school has started again so it may take even longer for the next one, or not. Who know? But please for now just bare with me. I also apologize for any grammar mistakes so if you spot any please tell me and I'll be more than happy to fix it.**

**I was kind of demotivated half way through the chapter which always causes me to take longer to type it up because I get bored with it. But when I think of an interesting and fun idea I just get to typing as fast as I possibly can so hopefully that will happen with the next chapter.  
Till next time. Bye  
~Zella**


	12. Chapter 12

I guess I'm pretty glad with the way things ended yesterday, though I don't remember it all completely. The silence that had been choking me was able to pass me by when I fainted not long after defeating my father. I'm not sure if anyone said anything before I passed out but I don't care anymore. Well, I don't exactly care as of now, but when I finally see one of them I'm not sure what to do.

Right now I'm sitting in some room in the fourth division on the bed that I woke up in. No one knows that I've woken up yet so I haven't seen anyone at all. When I woke up I saw my zanpakuto placed in the corner of the room. What came to me as a surprise was the fact that my choker sat on the small bedside table instead of attached to my neck. But I didn't bother with it. If they didn't bother with putting it back on when I was unconscious then why should I?

My thoughts were interrupted when the handle of the door turned. I turned my attention towards that opening door to see a boy with blue eyes and chin length black hair walk in. He wore a standard shihakusho and had a fourth division medical pack over his shoulder. He had a broom in his hand and began sweeping obviously not noticing that I was awake. I cleared my throat to let him know that I was awake. He turned towards me and started freaking out.

"I-I'm so sorry I didn't know you were awake, I should've knocked first," he quickly said while bowing his head. I let out a chuckle. He was cute in that boyish way.

"Don't worry about it," I told him while trying to calm him down.

"I'm still really sorry though," the boy apologized once more.

"It's fine, just keep to your sweeping," I told him, reminding him of his orders. He seemed to remember what he had to do and continued sleeping. I sure was glad that this guy wasn't someone I knew or then I wouldn't be talking like I was now.

"So what's your name?" I asked out of boredom and curiosity.

"Hanataro," he replied while he swept up the room.

"I'm Rie if you didn't already know," I told him with a smile. I wasn't sure if he knew my name or not since I was in the fourth division's barracks. Come to think of it; how did I get here?

"If you don't mind me by asking, do you know who brought me here?" I asked Hanataro who looked up at me.

"Well, substitute captain Hisagi was carrying you and Renji was with him holding your chocker," Hanataro told me while thinking back to what happened. I truthfully didn't expect anymore than that, actually I expected less. For example not even ending up in the medical division of the Seireitei. I already figured that Yamamoto wouldn't have come with since he has all of his being in charge duties to attend to. But instead of asking about anything relating to my situation I asked something else.

"Are you friends with Renji? You didn't call him lieutenant Abarai like other people do," I said, picking up on the fact that he only said Renji.

"W-well a while back I had healed him after a fight and I guess we became a little bit more friendly with each other," he said while rubbing the back of his head.

"I see," I said with a slight nod. Silence fell upon the room once more as Hanataro kept sweeping. I slight knock on the door interrupted the silence. I muttered a come in just hoping that it wouldn't be anyone from earlier. Luckily it wasn't.

"I thought you'd be awake by now, are you feeling okay?" asked the captain of the fourth division, Retsu Unohana. Slight relief showed in my features when I realized it wasn't Shuuhei or Renji.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," I told her with a slight smile.

"That's good to hear. Hanataro you can go now, the room is clean enough," she said politely to the boy who was sweeping the room. Hanataro nodded and quickly rushed out the room with a good-bye. This didn't seem good. When a captain wants to be alone in a room without anyone listening in, she means business.

"Rie I have an important message for you," and there it was. Without asking what it was she continued. "It's from Captain Yamamoto," she said. I was slightly angered at his name but I knew there was a hint of worry in the back of my mind. Unohana then smiled "he says you're free."

I blinked. What? Was she serious? I didn't speak for a moment as my mind tried processing her words. Freedom? What type of freedom? Free from hiding my ears and tail or free from the Soul Society completely? I hadn't realized that I could be asking these questions aloud yet so they just kept circling in my head for moment.

"Free from… the Seireitei?" I finally asked looking up at Unohana.

"It's your choice. He said you can either stay or leave. But he said staying requires a conversation about certain matters with him," she told me with a gentle smile. I couldn't believe it. Freedom was a word that was barely able to squeeze its way into my dictionary. If my father was defeated and the Seireitei was letting me go then that means that I really am free, doesn't it?

I ran my fingers through my lilac hair and smiled with closed eyes. I tilted my head downwards and let out a slight chuckle. I couldn't believe that words alone could lift so much weight off my shoulders. I single tear rolled down my cheek and landed on the covers of the hospital bed.

"Is something wrong?" Unohana asked. I guess from her point of view, with my chuckling, it looked like I was crying. But it was quite the opposite. Well… I was crying but I was glad.

"No, not at all," I told her while finally looking up. Her worried expression changed to a smile. Before leaving she said I should be all right and I could leave anytime I like. She also added that if I were to leave the Seireitei I'd have to inform the head captain.

I couldn't wait any longer as I got out the bed the moment Captain Unohana left the room. I found my sandals placed neatly on the ground next to a chair that had my black thigh high socks on it. I slipped my socks on and then put on my sandals. I then grabbed my zanpakuto and then went towards the door. I stopped. As much as I didn't want to look at it, I did. My chocker that was placed on the bedside table was still there. I guess I should take it but like hell I was going to wear it. It's too late for that shit. I went back and took it in my hand before going out the door.

Ha, and I thought I got weird stares with my purple hair alone. The people of the fourth division were too taken back by my appearance to even speak. All they did was stare at me as I found my way out the barracks.

Once I exited the barracks, I regretted it. Damn I should've taken the window. There stood the two men I wanted to see the least right now; Renji, one of my best friends in this hellhole, and Shuuhei, a now very good friend of mine who I care for to some extent. Well the good thing about this was that they spoke first.

"Rie, are you okay? You've been out for a week now," Renji said and I tilted my head in confusion. A week? I only suspected it to be a day and Captain Unohana never said anything, neither did Hanataro.

"Have I seriously been out for a week?" I asked to make sure I heard him right. He nodded and I let out a sigh. "I thought I was only down for a day," I mumbled and then looked up at two. It was silent now.

"S-so you're a… cat?" Renji finally asked while pointing at my ears.

"A neko you idiot!" I growled at him while whacking him upside the head in the process.

"What was that for!" he yelled at me while rubbing his head.

"You have to get your creatures straight. Nekos are part human you know, not all cat," I informed him while crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well sorry for not having a mythical creature dictionary," Renji told me and I shot him a glare.

"If I were a mythical creature I wouldn't exist. Get your facts straight," I said and he just mumbled something. It was silent for a moment before I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Shuuhei finally spoke. Once my laughing died down I looked over to him and shot him a smile.

"I just thought it'd be harder to talk to you guys. I guess I over reacted," I told him.

"Why would it be hard to talk to us?" he then asked and Renji nodded saying that he wanted to ask the same.

"My ears and tail are just so weird. My father always told me when I was little that if I were to make friends and show them, they would hate me. I was little so… I believed him. Apparently there is a curse that runs in my family saying that once every 500 years a cat demon it born in the family. Somewhere in the legend it states that the demon is to be locked up and undercover. It also says that the demon is dangerous. I guess my father didn't believe in the legend until my mother grew extremely ill when I was born and the fact that I had these cat ears and my tail. The people of my family feared me from the moment I was born. They didn't kill me because they were afraid of an actual demon running loose. I hated it though, because I never did anything wrong but they still were afraid. It hurts to be given a smile out of fear instead of love. Soon enough my father stopped faking and grew cold." I finally ended my huge explanation. I was amazed that I explained so much since I only wanted to tell them the first two sentences but I felt like I had to go on.

"Why would we hate you?" Shuuhei asked and I looked up to see both him and Renji smiling at me. "You never did anything to us, so who cares," he added. I stayed silent as I stared at the two. I was a fool wasn't I? They didn't care one bit. My dad fed me lies that I believed and that's all there was to it. I wasn't dangerous was I?

"Thanks," I said and then suddenly hugged the two. "I have to go talk with someone, later," I said and without allowing them to speak I ran off towards the first division.

I got to the huge door of Captain Yamamoto's office and knocked. I heard a come in and slowly opened the huge door. It seemed that he was having a meeting with five captains. So it technically wasn't a captain's meeting but still a very awkward moment. Among the captains were Byakuya, Shunsui, Kenpachi, Toshiro, and Jushiro. Everyone was staring at me as I slowly stepped forward.

"What is it, Rie?" Captain Yamamoto asked as if he hadn't given me that message at all to speak to him. My tail swished back and forth as I looked up at him.

"I came to speak to you about my decision," I stated while ignoring the stares I was given. The awkwardness died down pretty quickly. It was silent which suddenly gave me a chance to remember something. Before my father attacked I told Captain Yamamoto something. He didn't hear me but I know that he read my lips clearly. I told him 'if demons try, they can become angels'. Yeah it was somewhat a cheesy line but I meant it. Though I never truly explained it to him.

"What have you decided?" he finally asked. The other captains showed respect and didn't speak.

"First I'd like to explain something to you. If a demon tries it can change into an angel. Though, its appearance will never change. So before I made my decision I wanted to ask you something. Are you able to accept the demon, even though it may not change at all?" I asked. If I actually were to stay here I wanted to know that I was welcomed, not a prisoner.

"Yes," his answer was certain and straight out.

"It was clear to me that I had no choice the moment I woke up. If I have a zanpakuto doesn't that mean I'm destined to be a soul reaper?" I asked with a smirk. "As long as I'm allowed to roam freely like a normal soul reaper and have no curfews I'm fine with staying here." I finished with a grin.

"Then it's settled. You will remain as temporary lieutenant of the 9th division," Yamamoto declared to make sure we were on the same page. I then finally remembered the several captains surround us in the room.

"I'll leave you to whatever this is about then," I said backing away towards the door.

"Just a moment," Yamamoto said causing me to stop in my tracks. My cat ears perked up and I tilted my head as if to ask what he wanted.

"Rie-chan is so adorable when her kitty ears perk up like that," Captain Kyoraku commented. I shot him a slight glare. I had my history with that captain. It was only for two days so I don't really include the 8th division in my list of barracks that I've been in but a lot can happen in two days. I was only able to come in contact with Kyoraku, which is why the lieutenant didn't know me at that meeting sometime ago.

"I have a mission for you and stand-in Captain Hisagi, you'll have to go to the world of the living next week with lieutenant Abarai. I'll have more details for you tomorrow," Yamamoto told me. My grin returned when I heard his words.

"Okay," I said with a nod and then left. I was so excited now. I couldn't wait to go to the world of the living especially with Renji and Shuuhei. I flash stepped over to the barracks and rushed to the office. Without knocking, since it was partially my office, I rushed in to see Shuuhei putting a book on the bookshelf. He turned around quickly and I ran up to him. With all the excitement rushing through me I hugged him.

"R-Rie, w-what happened?" he asked taken back by my sudden action. I finally realized what I was doing and parted from him and calmed down. Was it wrong that I suddenly felt a lack of warmth?

"I get to stay and we're going on a mission to the world of the living with Renji," I said with a smile.

"That's good. So what's the mission about?" Shuuhei questioned while putting the book he still had in his hand on the shelf. I shrugged and then answered.

"He said we'll find out tomorrow and that the mission is next week. But I'm so excited, I want to see Ichigo so much," I told him with a smile. I was never this excited for anything. I think that's why Shuuhei was still a bit surprised at my actions.

"You know Ichigo Kurosaki?" he asked after realizing what I had said. I nodded and then began to explain.

"When he first came to the Soul Society to rescue that Kuchiki girl I met him. He thought I wanted to fight him but instead I tagged along. But of course I had somehow gotten the most punishment even though captain Ukitake and captain Kyoraku fought against the old man himself. Anyways I was sent to the world of the living for one day with lieutenant Kira so I was able to meet up with him again. He's the one who gave me my alarm clock and I've also seen him when he came by here on various occasions as well," I told him.

"Oh," he said with a slight nod of the head.

**Shuuhei's POV  
**Rie seemed so happy. Her face is barely ever that bright when she talks about things. I wasn't sure if she was happier that she was free within the Soul Society or that she would be going to the world of the living. When she spoke about the substitute soul reaper, Ichigo, she seemed to be even more excited. She must really like the guy.

"Oh yeah, Renji told me he'd invite some of the others and we could all go out to celebrate your freedom," I told Rie once I remembered what Renji had told me. She looked up at me and smiled. She seemed happier than ever as she nodded.

**Back to Rie's POV  
**When night came Shuuhei and I met up with some others at the place we went last time. I was able to have some girl talk with Rangiku and make jokes about the guys. Of course I didn't drink but that wasn't stopping anyone else. I was actually surprised to see that Shuuhei wasn't drinking anything since he drank so much last time. I asked him why but she just said he didn't want to regret it in the morning. I laughed at that. Everyone was playing with my tail and ears though. They still weren't used to seeing me like this so I understood.

"So Rie you've gotten quite friendly with Shuuhei since the last time I saw you," Rangiku chimed. The others were occupied with their own conversation so they couldn't hear ours. It was still pretty early in the night so I knew that it wasn't all the alcohol and fuzzy feelings in the girl that were talking.

"And?" I questioned. I kind of knew where she was getting to with this but I didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

"When are you to going to start dating? You guys make an adorable couple," she pouted. "Something must've happened between the two of you at some point right?' she asked and at that moment a certain memory filled my head. That accidental kiss we had when Shuuhei was staying at my place. "Hmm what happened? Your facial expression changed," she said obviously wanting to know every detail.

"Nothing happened," I told her. I did the only thing that a person can do in times like these; shoot the question back at her. "So what about you? Do _you _have anyone your interested in?"

That was my lucky escape. After that question left my mouth the night sailed on. Rangiku spoke of many different men that she thought were good looking and then we took part in the conversation that was happening on the other side of the table.

It was probably midnight now and everyone was leaving. Shuuhei and I both walked home together since our homes were in the same direction. It was different than last time. Shuuhei wasn't almost tripping over his own feet and his words were crystal clear.

"Thanks for tonight," I said while looking up at the stars.

"No problem," he answered. A comforting silence followed. We didn't have to say anything. It was the type of silence that I always adored. Once we went our separate ways I went home and went straight to bed. Two things lingered in my mind. The first is what our mission would be like and the second is my earlier discussion. I sighed and turned in my bed. Why was I thinking of that now?

* * *

**A/N: My deepest apologies for the long wait! Seriously I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long. Please review and what you think. As you can see I'm trying to make some progress in Rie and Shuuhei's relationship since the main plot is kinda over. If there are any grammar mistakes please tell me and I will be happy to fix it. :D Again I hope you all like it and I hope that I can get the next chapter out a little faster.**

**~Zella**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Yeah, that's right, I'm doing a disclaimer today. I do not own Bleach! I only own my character, Rie, and the main plot idea.  
****Okay, now that that's over. I am soooo sorry for the long wait! Anyways hope you enjoy.**

The week flew by rather slowly. Why is it that whenever you're excited for something to happen it takes forever? Well whatever, we would be going to the world of the living in an hour so I wasn't complaining. It turns out that a captain, an actual captain, would be going on the mission with us but we were never told who it would be.

The mission itself is what my mind was occupied with. Apparently something strange has been going on in Karakura. The soul reaper who was put there found some strange, unidentified, creature. He wasn't able to do anything to it at all. It was strong. Ichigo found him the day after and then the soul reaper came to report it here. The head captain decided that we should go check it out and see what this creature really is, with the help of Ichigo of course.

I walked alone on one of the many pathways of the Seireitei. I was headed towards the Senkaimon where we were to meet. I was curious about which captain would be joining us. Byakuya had popped to my mind since he was Renji's captain. I also thought about how cool it would be if Kenpachi came along with us, even though he fought for fun I liked him. I looked up ahead to see the Senkaimon in view along with everyone else being already there. I saw three people. I knew the red hair was Renji and the spiky black hair was Shuuhei, which left me to focus on the long black hair with white headpieces. Shit. It was Byakuya.

It's not like I didn't like him but we had our differences. He didn't seem to be very overjoyed when I was in the sixth division. Simply put, he has pride in his work and clan, I don't. Plus I think he has something against me. Like that natural hate that when you first see a person you want to punch them in the face or something. Okay so maybe I don't like him at all but that's beside the point. The point was that he would be going on this mission with us.

"Morning," I greeted once I got to the others. I made no effort in looking at Byakuya as I turned to face Shuuhei and Renji.

"Your late," the voice scolded from behind me. There it was, that naturally hateful sounding voice. I spun around on my heel and, just for the fun of it, tilted my head in slight 'surprise'.

"You're here Captain Kuchiki? I didn't even notice." I laughed inwardly when I saw Byakuya's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Renji sighed, no doubt because of the apprehension of a dispute between Byakuya and I.

"Yes I am here, on time, and not being a bother to others," Byakuya retorted.

"Wow, it took you that long to come up with that fail of a comeback. Your mind works pretty slow when it comes to verbal arguments doesn't it," I slyly answered and then came the glaring daggers.

"Come on you two we have to work together here," Shuuhei said while trying to calm down the atmosphere. It figures that Renji didn't try. He knew it'd be useless so he stopped a long time ago.

"Whatever," I huffed and turned towards the Senkaimon. I'm not sure if I was going crazy or I wasn't in the mood but I usually never backed down that easily. If I ended it I would end with a smooth comment or insult before finalizing the verbal war. Heck, I bet Byakuya was surprised too.

With the help of a hell butterfly we passed through the Senkaimon and ended up in the world of the living. It was just as stunning as the last time I was here. Where we arrived was the river in Karakura town at the bridge. It was sunrise, and I couldn't resist. I walked up to the edge of the bridge and let all other things around me disappear. The sun's reflection glistened against the river water and to me it was breathtaking. But to others it was a waste of time; and by others I just meant Byakuya. Now I remember why I initially hated this man. He had no appreciation for the art of nature and he didn't let me appreciate it either.

"Stop daydreaming and let's go, we have to go to Mr. Urahara's shop," Byakuya said while dragging me away. I scowled, having no other choice but to follow behind the mean captain. We stood up in the air and walked from there just to be above the town. Byakuya and Renji were in front as Shuuhei and I trailed behind. I kept glaring at the captain's back as we headed towards Urahara's shop. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked to see Shuuhei.

"Captain Kuchiki is like that a lot, he really takes pride in his work so just try to calm down," Shuuhei told me as if he was apologizing on the captain's behalf. I let out a sigh.

"I know but he just ticks me off sometimes. Plus in the world of the living the sky just seems different somehow," I looked up at the glorious blue and a content smile was able to appear on my face. Before Shuuhei could stop me I was able to bump into Byakuya's back since I was looking up and didn't know that he had stopped. He turned around and glared back at me.

"Try to be more careful," he mumbled and I only responded with a glare of my own. We were in front of Urahara's shop now. Even though I have been to the world of the living before I haven't been here. It seemed pretty simple to me. It looked about two stories and had a sign saying "Urahara Shop". There were two kids in the front sweeping. One was a girl with black hair in pigtails with bangs going straight down the middle of her face. The other kid, who wasn't really sweeping rather pretending to be a baseball star, had spiky red hair. Right when the red-haired boy began to bully the girl he noticed us.

"Oh look it's the moocher," the boy said while looking at Renji. We all looked to Renji who seemed both angry and embarrassed at the moment. I had to put a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

"Hi Mr. Moocher," the girl then said and that's when it got to me. Bursting out in laughter I found myself out of breath in no time.

"Shut up!" Renji barked but I kept laughing.

"Don't mind me Mr. Moocher," I was able to get out before continuing with my laughing fit. I was finally able to stop when the door to the shop opened revealing a blonde man with a white and green bucket hat. He held a fan in front of his face.

"I've been expecting you, I put your gigais in the basement for safe keeping. Please come in," he said. So this was Kisuke Urahara. He was somewhat different from what I imagined but from the stories that I've heard I wasn't completely surprised. "Why hello there Miss, I assume you're Rie. Hmm, I haven't heard that you were a neko," he mused while looking at my ears and tail.

"Well it only became truly public knowledge recently so I don't blame you," I said with a slight smile. He led us through the shop and opened a hatch that led to a humongous basement. So much for a simple shop, this place was huge! I didn't even think we were in a basement anymore by the time we got to the bottom. I wasn't able to comment on the basement since we were brought our gigais straight away.

My gigai looked exactly like me minus the ears and tail. It was the same one I used in my last visit. The reason I never saw Kisuke is because, by orders once again, I wasn't supposed to make contact with him in fear that he may notice the choker's material. He was a smart man apparently so I guess it worried Yamamoto. I was only to do my work and come back but it didn't turn out so easy, which is how I came in contact with Ichigo. That reminded me about Ichigo and it made me smile. I couldn't wait to see him.

We all got into our gigais, which wore clothes of the living world. I now didn't have a tail or ears and wore jeans shorts with black tights underneath. A white long sleeved shirt came on top of that with sleeves that were long enough to go past my fingertips. As for shoes I had a pair of black combat boots on. My long hair with its unnatural color flowed down to my lower back as usual.

I looked to the others who also just got into their gigais. Renji wore jeans and a plain shirt that had a picture of a pineapple on it, fitting is what I thought. Byakuya had black pants and a white button up shirt; I didn't expect him to wear a normal shirt anyways. Last was Shuuhei who had on a black unzipped sleeveless hoodie with a white shirt on and jeans for pants.

"Hmm, I'd say I look the best," I declared with a smile. I was in a childish mood again.

"What the hell? Why are you saying that type of stuff now?" Renji questioned in slight annoyance.

"I didn't hear any objections so I guess I am best looking," I told him with a smile. He mumbled some more words I couldn't hear and Byakuya stepped in again.

"Stop fooling around," he then turned to Kisuke. "Do you have any information on the creature that we are looking for?" Byakuya asked.

"Not a single clue about it, maybe Ichigo could help. He only said that he saw the soul reaper when he was down but maybe he knows something about the creature. But he's in school right now, then again that doesn't really stop you guys," Kisuke explained and my smile grew. We were already going to see Ichigo.

"Okay then, we'll be going," the captain said and we left the huge basement in our gigais. Even though I was overly excited I held it in. With every passing minute we were getting closer to the school. Soon enough it was in view. I smiled. I looked up at the big building and saw some students eating lunch and there, at the roof, I saw an orange head of spiky hair.

"I see him," I noted to the others. Without even caring they all walked onto the school grounds and I just raised a brow. Was it normal to trespass on school grounds? "He's on the roof," I informed them when Byakuya asked where. All the students stared at us. Eyes were mostly on Renji or me, but some seemed to recognize Renji. Girls gawked at Shuuhei and Byakuya and not to sound conceited but some guys were staring. But still most of the eyes that stared at me were looking at my hair. Soon enough we were at the roof and I had somehow made my way up to the front in order to open the door.

"Ichigo!" I yelled out when I saw him. He was there with two of his friends who I didn't know and didn't care about. I immediately ran towards him and practically tackled him to the ground.

"R-Rie?" he yelled out in surprise from underneath me. I got off of him and helped him up. "What are you doing here?" he questioned once he got up. Before I could answer one of his friends spoke up.

"Ichigo who's your friend here? I've certainly never met her before," he said while eyeing me. That deserved a punch in the face by Ichigo.

"Shut up Keigo," the orange haired boy said while punching his friend. His other friend with the black hair began to drag his friend away with a slight laugh.

"I guess I'll take him out of the way for you," the boy said as we watched him drag this Keigo kid away. When the door to the roof shut it left us alone on the roof with Ichigo.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo finally asked. He knew that it was a serious matter, seeing that Byakuya was sent with us.

"I assume you should know. It's about that creature that attacked the soul reaper on watch in Karakura town," Byakuya answered almost immediately. By the look on Ichigo's face I could see that he had already seen the answer coming. He leaned back against the fence of the roof with a sigh.

"I did see it yesterday but only a small glimpse. Apparently it wants something, I'm not sure what though," Ichigo informed us and Renji had to comment.

"Wow Ichigo I'm surprised you could get so much information from one short look," Renji said with clear intent on making Ichigo angry. Renji succeeded.

"What was that?" the strawberry growled.

"Stop it you two," Byakuya interrupted before they broke out into an argument.

"Yet you yourself get into arguments with me pretty easily and you can't find room to stop that," I scoffed. Yes, it was also somewhat of an insult to myself but whatever works to get on this man's nerves. I know he has the heart of a child on the inside so if I only pushed far enough I could get a full on argument with him. Sadly it didn't happen. I love verbal fights for two reasons: 1. It doesn't involve hurting people and 2. I always win.

"Anyways were you able to see what the creature looked like?" Shuuhei now spoke probably not wanting anyone to start arguing again.

"Just barely. It wasn't a soul reaper or an arranchar. It was pitch black but had a bone shell type of thing around its wrists," Ichigo said and then stopped. His face showed that he was trying his best to remember what it looked like. "Oh yeah," he finally said remembering an important detail. "It had some sort of strange necklace that had a pendant. Something like a small carved wooden circle with an empty space in the middle," he tried to explain while trying to make an example of its size with his fingers. I stumbled back a bit with wide eyes.

"The _Atrox_," I murmured and everyone turned to face me. The fact that I knew something became evident.

"The what?" Renji questioned, that was my cue to explain.

"The _Atrox. _It's a special gemstone that's been passed down through my family's lineage. The word atrox means terrible, cruel, or horror. Every fifty or so years within the family a new pendant is made to hold the gemstone. A chosen one in the family is given it to hold and protect around their neck. The cursed one is never told who the chosen one is but I know for a fact that the stone has great importance to me," I sighed. Saying that last part meant I had some more explaining to do.

"How does it have importance to you?" Shuuhei was the first to ask.

"Take a seat boys, this is going to take a while," I told them as I sat down myself. The others sat down as well, ready to listen to my story. "Well like I told Shuuhei and Renji my father didn't exactly believe in the legend of the curse that runs in my family. But in truth there is one piece of proof that stays in the family to assure that the curse is real. Even though some people don't believe it, they don't completely deny it either. The _Atrox _is a gemstone that's been in my family for as long as the clan lived. It has a special power; to consume the horror and cruelness of the cat demon." I stopped.

"Didn't you say that the demon _isn't _dangerous," Renji said.

"Yes but that isn't entirely true. Every demon is evil of course. If that gem were to break then I would probably be taken over by the cat demon and destroy everything. I didn't want to tell you or anyone because of…" I trailed off knowing that someone would finish for me.

"Because you were afraid that we'd be afraid and hate you," Shuuhei finished and I nodded.

"It's just in the life of having a demon in you I guess. But now I'm worried. Even though I never heard about whom it was going to, I did hear about what it looked like. The pendant, Ichigo, I know you didn't get a very close look but by any chance did you happen to see something like a fang carving on it?" I questioned just hoping for him to say no. He thought back.

"I remember something like that," I said in deep thought.

"This isn't good. I don't know how that thing got it but if it finds the _Atrox _I'm in big trouble," my fear began to grow as I looked at the others.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"The gem basically consumes demonic essence. If it stays in the power of a family such as mine then the demon of that family is kept under control. But if it were to get into the hands of another demon or family with a demon it will only take a drop of blood to make the seal. Once a drop of blood from the demon or cursed family member comes in contact with the gem it switches. It stops taking demonic essence from one and starts taking from another."

"So that means," Shuuhei started and I nodded.

"If that thing finds that gemstone, the cat demon could run loose."

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**A/N: Okay so like I said earlier sorry for the wait! And I hope you guys aren't mad because of lack of relationship development within this chapter. Trust me this whole plot will finish quickly but awesomely so their relationship can make some progress. I just thought something like the world of the living would be interesting. Sorry if anyone is ooc and I also apologize for grammatical issues  
A couple of notes. Atrox is Latin meaning terrible, cruel, horror. I got it off the internet so if it's wrong it's not my fault  
And for those of you who don't know, Ichigo means strawberry if any of you were all like "why the hell did you write strawberry when Ichigo spoke?!"  
And starting on from the next chapter I shall reply to reviews in the beginning of each chapter :D**

**Hope you guys enjoyed. Please review on your thoughts. Love ya!  
~Zella**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay so here it is! I feel like a failure because I just realized that I had started writing Shuuhei instead of Shuhei. Grrr I hate myself. Well I fixed it!... Hopefully.  
****Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!  
**

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My eyes were barely able to open when I woke up. What happened to me? The last thing I remember was splitting into three groups with the others to search for the creature that took the _Atrox. _I went with Ichigo, Renji went with Shuhei, and Byakuya was by himself. Did we find that creature and engage in battle? Was the _Atrox _safe? Ugh why can't I remember!

"She's waking up," I heard from beside me. I recognized that voice to be Renji's. Some form of relief washed over me when I also heard other voices. I was just glad to know that the others weren't missing or something because then I'd be screwed. Finally my eyes were able to open and I appeared to be lying down on a bed in a room. We were still in the world of the living. Was this Ichigo's room maybe?

"W-What happened?" my weak voice came out slowly. It hurts.

"What the hell do you mean what happened? What do you expect would happen when you go jumping in front that thing without your zanpaktou?" Renji told me. I did what?

"Orihime said that your injuries should heal soon," Ichigo then said calmly.

"Who's Orihime?" I was able to ask. Damn it hurt to speak. Why couldn't I just say a simple 'who?' rather than including the name.

"What are you talking about? You met her three days ago," Ichigo said and I slowly turned my head on the bed towards him. What was he talking about? Three days ago?

"What's the last thing you remember happening?" Byakuya asked this time. He was leaning against the wall somewhat away from everyone else. That's when I noticed that they were in there gigais while I wasn't. Before I answered his question I was able to ask for a glass of water, which Ichigo went and got for me. I was helped in sitting up by Shuhei who also held the glass up to my lips so I could drink the water. After drinking down the whole glass I was able to speak a little easier.

"The last thing I remember is us coming to the world of the living, meeting up with Ichigo, and then splitting up to look for that creature thing," I told them. I tried my best to remember other things but it was all blurry.

"That was a week ago," Renji told me.

"Well I obviously remember nothing so can someone please explain the events of this past week," I said and then realized something. I felt something hanging around my neck and when I looked down to see it I immediately realized what it was. It was the necklace with the pendant and it held the _Atrox _in it. I decided not to ask about it just yet since it would probably be explained later. The guys looked around the room at eachother wondering who should tell me the story of the week. Ichigo was the decided candidate since I had split up with him so he probably know the most, at least of that day.

"Once we split up we weren't able to find anything at all the first day. The next day we were able to find traces of the creature but still nothing much. The day after that we split up into different teams. You were with Shuhei and I was with Renji. That day you two confronted the creature and it attacked you wanting to know about the _Atrox_. You got slashed in the arm and then it left. We brought you to Orihime who healed you. The next day we couldn't find it again, but we did find a clue to where the _Atrox _was. We weren't able to find it out until the next day that it was hidden in the cemetery. The creature was there too and you started to fight it. The fight seemed one-sided at first but then you finally decided to use your shikai. You were still getting wounded though. We soon found out that the creature was being used by the Bokura family to get the _Atrox _for them. Anyways you got slashed in the arm and your zanpaktou flew from your hand. Shuhei started to fight it while you were on the ground, and right when he was about to get taken out you jumped in the way. You fell to the ground and we were able to defeat it. You've been asleep ever since," Ichigo explained. Even though it was a lengthy explanation it still seemed brief. Like some parts were vague on explanations.

The room was silent as I tried to process everything. Well it surely was a week no doubt about that. If I was correct then the Bokura family has always despised my clan so that part makes sense. But there were still gaps. Like why we switched partners that one day. Also I wondered what that clue was, and if the people of the Bokura clan would come after us again. Well I had the _Atrox _around my neck so someone must've put it there. But that thing was really strong if I had to use my Shikai, I still don't like it. My last thought made me looked over to Shuhei. Did I really jump in front of him? I smiled at the thought. I was glad that about that bit of information. I'd rather have myself be a goner than him. Our eyes met and Shuhei looked away immediately.

"I'm going for a walk," he said and then got up and left. That was strange. Now I knew that something was definitely off. The silence stayed in the room for a few more minutes until I finally spoke.

"Hey," I said gaining their attention. "Did I do something to Shuhei?" I asked and then looked up to Ichigo and Renji. I didn't give a damn about Byakuya. He probably wouldn't say anything anyways. I didn't really care about anything involving our fight with that creature and the _Atrox. _All I cared about right now was what happened between Shuhei and I. Was it because I saved him maybe?

"Well we're not really sure about that either," Renji started. I tilted my head in slight confusion. "The day after we split into different teams you two were acting weird."

"Define weird," I said.

"You guys didn't talk to eachother at all. Plus every time Shuhei was relatively close to you like walking next to you or something you took at least three steps away. It's not that you were angry or anything like that. You just seemed… edgy," Renji told me. "It was the same with Shuhei. He didn't try talking to you and tried his best not to walk too close to you," he then added. It was odd in a sense that I was being told about what I was doing. I never really lost my memories before so for someone to be telling me about how I acted just seemed strange. Trying to imagine the scene in my head was hard. I couldn't see myself trying to avoid Shuhei on purpose. Just what the hell happened?

We stayed an extra two days in the world of the living in order for me to recuperate a little more before returning to the soul society. I healed pretty quickly and barely felt a thing by the second day. I still wasn't able to talk to Shuhei about anything yet. That leads to my first order of business when we return: cornering Shuhei!

It was nighttime when we returned. The stars were shining brightly with such wondrous beauty. Renji went with Byakuya to Captain Yamamoto's often to give the report. This was my chance!

"Umm Shuhei," I said trying to gain the man's attention once the other two left. He turned to face me for the first time since I woke up. "Can you walk me home?" I asked him.

"Sorry but I have some work I have to catch up on," he told me. I frowned; he's coming up with excuses. Well two can play at this game.

"I'll come and help you, I don't really have much to do at home," I suggested and just like I thought he turned the offer down. Okay screw this approach. I grabbed his wrist and started walking in the direction of my house. "Work is too mainstream. Plus we just got back from a mission on top of that it was in the world of the living," I told him while pulling him along.

"Rie," Shuhei said upon my sudden action of grabbing him and dragging him behind me. I said nothing and kept moving forward. I heard him sigh and then he began to walk beside me willingly. A smile grazed my face as I let go of his wrist knowing that he wouldn't try and leave.

"Aren't the stars so beautiful tonight?" I questioned and looked over at Shuhei. Our eyes met once again and he looked away in the same second. "Shuhei," I said gaining his attention again but he didn't look directly at me. "Something may have happened between us but you're looking at it in a wrong perspective. Think of it as this. It doesn't matter anymore because I don't remember it. You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to," I told him with a smile. He finally looked me in the eyes without looking away and nodded. His attention then drifted back up to the stars.

"You're right, they are beautiful," he commented on the stars and I nodded. For once the silence was awkward or anything like that. It was content; the type of silence that we both enjoyed. The rest of the walk was quiet but I didn't mind it. When we reached my door I invited Shuhei in for some tea and he came in.

"Here you go," I said while handing him a cup of tea. He thanked me as I sat down and took a sip from my own cup. After a short moment of silence Shuhei spoke.

"I wanted to thank-you," he said and I looked up at him. Was he talking about me saving him? "If you didn't jump in the way I probably would've been injured even worse than you or even worse I would've died," he told me. Yup, he was talking about me saving him.

"You're welcome even though I have no recollection of that happening at all," I said with a chuckle. "It's strange when you're thanked for something you don't remember. Don't you think?"

"Yeah I guess so," he chuckled along with me. After that we started up in normal conversation. I was happy when we started speaking normally again. Awkward moments of not knowing what to say to each other never suited us. Even when Shuhei finished his tea we kept talking for another hour.

"I guess I should be going now," Shuhei finally said ending our last conversation. I nodded and got up along with him.

"Before you go can I show you something?" I asked him and he nodded. I led him up to my room and began to dig in one of my drawers for something.

"What are you looking for?" Shuhei questioned.

"Found it!" I exclaimed with a smile. I turned around to face Shuhei. My hand was closed, hiding the object in my hand.

"What is it then?" he asked again. I opened my hand revealing a small bright light. It stayed floating about three to four centimeters above my hand.

"It may look surreal but I love it. It reminds me of a twinkling star even though it isn't one," I explained to him.

"What is it then?" he inquired while looking at it in awe.

"I'm not sure. But it was a gift from Kimiko a long time ago. She never told me what it was but I always treasured it. She told me that if I ever feel down just look at this and think of her. I had forgotten about it up until now. The stars just appear to be more lively than usual that I remembered it all of a sudden," I explained with a smile.

"Then why are you showing me this?" he wondered. That was a good question. Why was I showing him?

"Because you appreciate the stars as much as I do," I was able to come up with. The star-like object was set on my dresser and I looked up at him. This may not be perfect timing but I still wanted to know. "Shuhei, can you tell me what happened between us."

That caught him a little off guard. I suppose it was out of the blue considering that we had strayed away from that topic some time ago. But I still deserve to know. It did involve us both so why can't I know?

"Maybe another time," Shuhei finally decided in his own head. This made me quite upset. What was so terrible that happened between us that he can't even tell me?

"Why?" a little too much irritation showed in that than what I would've preferred. Eh, whatever. If I don't show that I'm irritated or angry then how will I expect him to actually tell me? "Why the hell can't you tell me what happened between us? Is it that bad? Will it really make me not want to talk to you or be edgy every time you're near me?" I questioned using the information I gained from Renji when I had woken up. He said nothing so I just took this as a chance to go on. "I mean seriously if something happened that made me act like that then I'd really like to hear it. I wouldn't be able to completely believe that something happened like that if it wasn't for the others telling me. Why the hell won't you just tell me? Would you rather have me angry with you?" I questioned.

I went on for another full five minutes. I lost track of what I was saying myself. I probably repeated sentences a few times. That didn't matter though. It'd just make my words sink into him harder. But surprisingly enough through the entirety of my rant he said absolutely nothing. He just stared down at me and listened. Even when I paused to catch my breath or to see if he'd say something he didn't. I just didn't understand why this was so important. Couldn't he tell me? I mean we are friends right? Even if I did act awkward afterwards we'd still work it out somehow right?

As thoughts came into my mind they just exited through my mouth. Whatever came to my mind just came out in words. Sometimes I think that one day I'll look back at this whole moment and laugh. During mid-outburst I hadn't even noticed that I barely started looking at him. It's like when I spoke my eyes weren't really focused on him at all even though they were directed towards his face. I even thought that I wouldn't be able to shut up.

Something just happened. It was quiet. What was happening though? Did I finally shut my own mouth? No, it was different. I didn't shut myself up. Then what the hell was happening. Wait, I felt something. What was this warmth piling in my stomach? And this feeling on my lips? I've felt it before. This warmth is something I haven't forgotten. Shuuhei was kissing me.

Why? Did he just want me to shut up? No that was doubtful. Then why?! As my mind was currently exploding Shuhei's lips left mine. I didn't have to look in the mirror to know that my face was redder than a... okay I'm having a hard time coming up with analogies right now my mind is a freaking mess! Shuhei also seemed quite flustered when I looked at him.

"Happy?" he questioned and I said nothing. "That is what happened between us," he said. I thought about it for a while. Was he serious? Is that really what happened?

"Wait… who initiated it first?" it did seem like an untimely question at the moment but I just had to ask. He stared at me for a moment.

"So we just kiss and I tell you that that's what happened and that's what you want to know?" he questioned.

"It's an important question," I argued defensively. "I have to know if I'm the one who wanted to kiss you or if you just made a move on me like just now," damn it my heart was still beating so quickly. Even if I try to do something like this it still roots back to the kiss and that just makes it beat faster.

"Actually it was another accident like last time," Shuhei trailed off and I looked at him inquisitively.

"If that's the case then what the hell? Why was it that big of a deal?" as I asked these questions my heart still wouldn't stop. I felt like it'd explode any minute. He leaned in again and kissed me once more. Did that count as an answer? Surprisingly enough, this time I kissed back. His arms had wrapped around my waist and my hands snaked around his neck. Once we parted he spoke.

"Because it felt like that," he told me. I suppose that by now one would say that I wasn't thinking when I kissed him myself this time. It wasn't really long. I just wanted to kiss him myself. It felt amazing but ended quickly when I pushed him away.

"I-I'm sorry," I said while looking down at the ground. My eyes warily wandered back up to Shuuhei. The look in his eyes, I couldn't understand it. Although I'm usually good at reading expressions I couldn't grasp what his facial expression was telling me. There was a twinge of hurt but something else.

"It's fine," Shuhei muttered awkwardly. That's when it hit me. This happened to him before. I could guarantee that this happened the first time. "I'll be going then," he then mumbled. Is this what caused our awkwardness in the past? Is this how it had ended to make me seem distant from him? My brain was probably completely turned off when I grabbed his wrist just as he was about to exit my room. He turned towards me somewhat shocked.

"It's not that I don't like you." Scratch that last thought. My brain _was _turned on; it was just doing things on its own. "I'm not sure if this happened last time but don't think of it like that," brain you should really stop while you're ahead. "Err… how do I say this?" I know, I could just try switching my brain off and then I won't say it! As I tried to make my brain stop sending signals to my mouth to speak the other part of me kept wondering. What was I trying to pull here?

"Don't worry I get it," he said and I gave him a questioned look. "It's something like our friendship shouldn't be ruined and all that, right?" he asked me.

Right now I can say with confidence that my thoughts were split in two. One side was saying _"yes, that's it exactly!"_ while the other was just like _"hell no! Screw friendship, take me now!"_… Okay that was exaggerated but you get the point. But did this mean that… I like him?

"I really like you," oh great brain, _now _you decide to make me say what I'm actually thinking.

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**A/N: Well wasn't that a weird way to end a chapter...  
Anyways I just wanted to apologize for the wait (again!). I hope that the last part of this chapter made up for it.  
Important note:... I suck at writing kissy scenes! So sorry if that sucked.  
Sorry for any grammar issues and I also apologize if anyone was ooc.  
Hope you all like it! And don't worry it's definitely not the end!**

**Please review your thoughts! I love all you readers that read my stories! Seriously, no lie, whenever I get a review that says something like "keep writing this is amazing!" or "this almost made me cry" I get sooooooooooooooo happy and like jump up and down in a jumpy spazzish attack so thanks.**  
**I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**~Zella**


	15. Chapter 15

"What?" Shuhei thought he misheard me. Perfect! This is my chance to take back what I said.

"I… I really like you," damn it all! Brain when I'm done with this I will get you. Okay I have no idea how that will work out but it will somehow. Luckily Shuhei didn't speak so I was able to talk again… actually I'm not sure if that's lucky at all. "When I pushed you away it's just that…" I was at a loss for words now.

"That what?" he questioned as if my confession just phased through him. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to my mirror. I stared at our reflections and then focused more on my own.

"Look at me," I told him and he looked at my reflection in the mirror. "I'm not like you. I have cat ears and tail for crying out loud! While you, you're a normal everyday good-looking guy. My hair is freaking purple for some unknown reason and once again may I point out the tail!" I pointed out my imperfections. This moment was just becoming more and more depressing by the minute wasn't it? "Me, being with someone like you is just something unimaginable." Without warning he grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him.

"Shut up," well that was nice of him. "Stop bringing yourself down like that. Do you always think stuff like that? Rie if I really cared about any of that stuff do you seriously think I'd still be here?" he questioned me. "Saying things like that is just stupid."

"Stupid or not it's all true."

"But it's not true! Your purple hair looks amazing, your cat ears look cute on you, and that tail is awesome. Rie, you're beautiful," he used his hand to put some of my hair behind my ear. Our faces were once again inching closer and he kissed me. My heart was probably going to burst out my chest any moment now but I didn't care. As much as I didn't want it to end our lips had to part after a minute. "I got to go, I'll see you tomorrow," I was too frozen with shock and such to do anything about him leaving.

Soon enough I heard my front door open and close. I fell to my knees. "What the hell just happened?" Processing everything that had just happened was close to impossible. I was at least able to change into my pajamas and get into bed but my thoughts were still occupied with what had just happened. "So does that mean he likes me too?" I mumbled to myself. Just to be clear here it's called thinking aloud, not going crazy by talking to myself. "I guess so…" I trailed off. Then something somewhat irrelevant crossed my mind and I sat up in bed. "Wait… he just left me at my house out of nowhere! Who the hell does that?"

It was the next morning now and I was taking my time as I walked towards the ninth division barracks. Somehow I was able to get over all my thoughts and get some sleep last night. My mindset today was just acting completely normal as if nothing happened. That'll probably be easy considering the amount of work I'd have to do.

"Rie!" I heard a voice cry out my name. I turned to see strawberry blonde hair and icy blue eyes. The next thing I knew I was being crushed.

"Can't… breathe," I was able to speak up and she let go of me. The lieutenant of the tenth division gave me a smile.

"I haven't seen you in a while. I heard you went on a mission to the world of the living," Rangiku said with a smile.

"Yup, I just got back last night," I nodded. "You're up earlier than usual," even though it was about nine o'clock that was still plenty early for Rangiku's standards. Her smile dropped and she huffed out a sigh.

"The captain needed me to deliver some documents to the third division," she then waved around the large envelope with papers in it. A light bulb suddenly went off in her head. "Why don't we go out later tonight? Just you and me, a girl's night to catch up and stuff," she suggested.

"Sure," I said. Truth be told I really needed some girl time. If there was anyone to go to in the situation I'm in now it would be Rangiku hands down. All I had to do was brace myself for the possible squealing and the 'I knew it' that would spew out of her mouth when I told her. She waved goodbye and walked off in the direction of the third division barracks as I kept walking to my own barracks.

Acting as I normally do was way easier than I thought; especially when Shuhei was rushing in and out of the office with his own work. We didn't share a word ever since I entered the office because of how busy he was. He didn't even realize I was sitting at my desk until the third time he came in and out of the office! I didn't care though. Actually I was quite thankful. Even though I knew I'd be able to act normally by myself it was much easier this way. Soon enough though I realized why he was so busy. It turns out that the new issue of Seireitei Communication was supposed to be coming out sometime this week. Before Shuhei could rush out the office for the fifth time this morning I stopped him.

"Hey do I need to write my article or something?" I questioned. Seriously, I had completely forgotten about my whole article thing.

"No need, I got it covered," he answered before leaving with a stack of papers in hand. I stared at the door and blinked a few times. How could he possibly write _my _article? After another moment of thoughts I shrugged thinking that he most likely wrote something down that I said beforehand. This time I'll be waiting to read my own article.

The huge stack of papers that had been on my desk this morning was finally gone now. For a place where everyone has zanpaktou and is trained in fighting there sure is a lot of paper work. I never really understood that but whatever. The sun was still up but it was slowly but surely making its way down. It was probably an hour or so before sunset. Shuhei had left the barracks to go to a captain's meeting. Lucky for me there wasn't a lieutenant's meeting but there's most likely one tomorrow.

For the next hour I just sat in the office doing nothing in particular. I was too lazy to train right now and I didn't feel like going home just yet. At last my favorite part of the day came and the sun was finally emitting an orange glow across the horizon. Just as I let out a heavenly sigh the office door slid open and in came Shuhei which must've meant that the captain's meeting was over.

"Just in time," I told him with a smile and then directed my attention back towards the window.

"Seems so," he answered and came up next to me to watch the sunset. Neither of us said a word but it didn't seem awkward at all. It was the type of silence that seemed peaceful and deserving after a stressful day of work. The sun had finally disappeared leaving behind glistening stars and a shining moon in its place. "Oh yeah, I never gave you a reply," I then heard Shuhei say. 'A reply to what?' I thought and then turned towards him. Before I could even realize it he gave me a quick peck on the lips. "I really like you too."

At that very moment I felt my heart flip. I've seriously never felt like that before. He seriously liked me back. And here I was about to think that last night was a figment of my imagination. That would've really sucked if it was. I could just imagine myself bringing up last night and Shuhei being confused because it never happened. Wait what the hell am I thinking? Say something before it gets super awkward!

"Really?" that's the best I could come up with? Brain, who put you in charge again? Oh whatever, at least it wasn't something completely stupid. Once my eyes focused back on the outside world I saw Shuhei scratch his cheek in slight embarrassment. Oh my goodness gracious! Ever since this morning I've noticed that everything he does it cuter now.

"Do I have to say it again?" he mumbled and I laughed.

"Don't worry, I heard you loud and clear," I reassured him. Right then I was able to remember my promise with Rangiku from earlier this morning. "I'm sorry but I got to go, I promised Rangiku that we'd have a girls night, see you tomorrow," and just like that I left. He was probably thinking exactly what I thought last night when I realized he had just left my house after that whole scene. Oh well, I thought with a shrug. It'll just give him time to process what just happened just like me.

"Good evening Captain Hitsugaya," I kindly greeted the tenth division captain. I had heard that if you call him anything other than that he'll freak out and correct you. But damn I didn't know he was so short… cute. My tail whipped back and forth as I scrutinized the office. It wasn't very different from the one in the ninth division aside from the fact that there was a lieutenant with strawberry blonde hair sprawled out on the couch.

"Why are you here?" Hitsugaya queried as he peered up from his last set of paperwork for the day.

"I came to take this lug of person off your hands," I said while gesturing towards the sleeping beauty on the couch. This could either go two ways. One possibility is that Hitsugaya would be mad that she'd be getting off of work without even doing much work at all. The other possibility is that he'd be more than happy to get her as far away as possible from the office. I was obviously hoping for option number two.

"She said something about that earlier," he muttered and then fixed his gaze on her. "Matsumoto get up!" he yelled sounding aggravated as if just now realizing that she was asleep. The lieutenant grumbled some things before sitting up while rubbing her head.

"What is it Captain?" she groaned while looking over to the boy sitting at his desk. He said nothing and just nodded towards me.

"Rie," Rangiku said with a smile once she noticed that it was me who stood behind the couch. Forgetting her tiredness she immediately jumped up and captured me in a bone crushing hug similar to the one I was trapped in this morning. After finally letting go of me she turned back to her captain "I'll be leaving now," and then I was dragged to who knows where.

Now here I was with Rangiku sitting in some restaurant I had never even heard of. According to Rangiku the food is supposed to be good quality so that was good enough for me to stay planted in my seat. Once the waiter came by we ordered our drinks and food and then sat in wait for the appetizers to arrive. In my mind was the contemplation on whether or not I should tell her or wait. As I thought about this Rangiku rambled on about something about clothes.

"Hey are you listening?" she suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts. Coming up with an excuse would be pointless now so I just let out a sigh.

"No… at least I think not. I think I heard the word designer and fabric quality. Other than that I was out. Sorry," I mumbled. Oh great, now I'm going to be bombarded with questions. I should've just lied.

"I didn't just invite you out so you could think about things while I talk," she told me with a frown. At that thought her frown suddenly turned into a smirk. Oh god. "So what were you thinking about then hmm? Was it a boy?" she cooed and even though I knew she was teasing I might as well get it done and over with.

"Yeah," no matter how quiet I just tried to be, she still heard me.

"What!" she was clearly shocked but before she could completely tackle me with questions we realized the waiter awkwardly standing beside us. He set out drinks on the table and then the helper next to him handed us our appetizers. Mine was a Caesar salad with water as a drink while Rangiku had the same appetizer but with sake instead, no shocker there.

"Okay so what did you just say?" Rangiku said once again after having a few bites of her salad. After one of the longest chewing sequences of my life I swallowed and prepared myself for a long ass night.

"I said yes, as in yes it is a guy I am thinking about."

"Who is it?" I wasn't even able to think when she asked that.

"Shuhei," I piped and just as I expected, there was a squeal.

"I knew it would happen sooner or later!" I saw that one coming too. After that the night played on. Just as Rangiku said, the food was delicious. Yeah, I know I'm avoiding the true topic of what happened but it was a whole damn lot. I told Rangiku everything. I even told her that I kissed him but dwindled the number down to only once. Surprisingly enough she didn't drink that much so she wasn't completely smashed by the end of the night. She probably did that on purpose though in able to actually listen to everything I said and not forget it in the morning.

At least she didn't have to give me advice on anything. I mean I'm pretty much good here. Well the complicated advice could be set out. The advice she actually tried to give me was how to seduce him if I ever wanted to and how to keep him wrapped around my finger. Half way through the dinner we decided to move onto a different topic. Even though this was a big breakthrough and all, we still had to talk about other things.

"See you later, and good luck," Rangiku said with a wink. I sighed. Good luck with what? Ugh I'm not all caught up with the complications in relationships. I don't know the seriousness of relationships either. The only thing I do know is that I've never exactly felt this way about someone.

I strolled down the stone path that led to my house and opened the door. I didn't bother to flick the lights on and just made my way up to my room. I put my bedroom light on and then sat on the floor. Okay so the girl talk was done and now for the sound of wisdom from the voice of my favorite zanpaktou. I sat on the floor and held out my zanpaktou. I closed my eyes and reopened them to find myself in the inner realm of my mind. The soft blue clouds were under my feet once again and I saw the lilac bridges connecting the clouds. Beneath me was the red sea and above was the parted sky of orange hue and dark spotted coloring. Then I looked around and finally spotted Dokusha's figure on the cloud beside the one I was on. I flashed a smile and walked over one of the lilac bridges and onto the same cloud as him.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hello Rie," he said and then I sat down on the cloud beside him. "You don't have to explain anything, since I see everything you do," he then added before I could start.

"Good because it's too damn complicated to explain a second time today," I muttered. "Don't give me any advice if you don't want to," I laughed "plus you're a zanpaktou, not a relationship adviser." He let out a light chuckle.

"That's true; then why not we just talk, to get your mind off things." I let out a yawn. That suggestion may have sounded great but I just had about two hours of conversing with Rangiku.

"I've had enough talking with Rangiku at dinner," another yawn escaped my mouth. My obvious tiredness led me to my own conclusion. I changed my position beside Dokusha and then lied down, resting my head on his lap. "Just let me sleep, I don't care if it isn't a good idea to sleep here. I want to," my tired voice didn't sound too fixed but whatever. It actually made me sound more like a child than anything else. The last thing I remember about that night was the light chuckle coming from Dokusha and then his hand gently patting my head.

A peck of sunshine landed upon my eyes causing me to wake up. I took in my surroundings trying my best to remember what happened last night. "Okay, so I came home, came into my room, and then fell asleep on Dokusha's lap," that about summed it up. I gave myself an affirming nod satisfied with what I remembered. "Wait…" I then wondered aloud. "Why the hell am I in my bed then?" I asked no one in particular.

Even though I wasn't expecting to wake up in my inner realm I didn't expect to be in my bed either. Plus there was the fact that I'm completely certain that I was on the floor when I connected with my inner realm. The possibility of Dokusha popped into my mind but then immediately left since he was a zanpaktou after all.

"Another mystery unsolved I guess," I shrugged off and then got ready for another day. When I grabbed Dokusha in my hand something felt off. It was as if his presence was gone and all I held was a sword. "You better just be asleep or something," I muttered trying to ignore it.

When I arrived at the office I was utterly shocked. On the bright side both of my morning mysteries were solved. But like every great mystery novel, just solving the first one or two mysteries brings you to an entire book of more. Beside me, also in shock, was Shuhei who I had just met in the hall on his way to the office like me. In front of us were two of them, one on the couch and the other sitting on the windowsill. The one on the windowsill… well I had no idea what the hell that was, probably Shuhei's mystery of the day. As for the one sleeping on the couch, well I knew that figure damn well. It was Dokusha.

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**A/N: Hey! Ugh it feels like it's been forever. Well I really hope you all liked this chapter!  
Big shocker huh? For the next plot I got the idea when thinking about some earlier chapter ;) So yay for complications!  
Okay so I apologize for grammar mistakes and please review. And hurrah for Spring Break! I might actually be able to finish the next chapter within the time limit of Spring Break so cross your fingers!**

**Now for replies to reviews... or reply to review since there was only one for the last chapter T.T. (Seriously guys review me up!)**

Monkey D. Lyna: Oh my goodness gracious thank you! You have no idea how happy I am when I read a review like that. I'm so glad that you liked it. I also hope you liked this chapter as well! The first time you reviewed I literally jumped up and down in glee. Thanks for the support and I'll be sure to keep writing no matter how long it takes to get each chapter out!

**Okay so till next time, later. REVIEW!**

**~Zella**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'M ALIVE! This chapter is way overdue so sorry for the wait!  
****I'll do the review replies first this time because I made you guys wait so long!**

**AkibaraLatina: Maybe a tease in like the distant future because I'm terrible at writing that type of stuff. Thanks for the review!**

**Monkey D. Lyna: You were just for that last chapter. I'm glad you liked it and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Thank-you so much for the review!**

**yukeks: Thanks! Sorry it took so long but it's finally here!**

**Mizuki Sakimoto: Oh my cheezits! Thank you soooooooooo much for that. You have no idea how much a review like that means to me! Thanks to your review I was actually inspired to write a little more into this chapter. When I get reviews like that I feel like I don't want to let my readers down so thank-you sooo much!**

**Haruko Takahashi: Thank-you for the support! It's great to hear that you love my OC and story! It helps me get off my lazy butt and write. :D Hope you like this chapter and thanks for le review!**

**And now without further ado I give to you Chapter 16!**

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My mind kept trying to process what I saw. Dokusha was currently sitting on the couch in the office. How the hell was that even possible? When that thought came to mind I did recall something that happened a while ago. Apparently a zanpaktou named Muramasa brought out all the physical forms of the zanpaktou in the soul society. It didn't happen to me because Muramasa probably didn't know of my existence and didn't confront Dokusha. Didn't they defeat him though?

"It's about time you got here," the one on the windowsill said. He was pitch black with a sort of red hue. There was nothing but black wrappings that covered his legs and his shoes were pointed… kind of like elf shoes but black. No doubt came into my mind when I assumed that he was Shuhei's zanpaktou. Kazeshini, I think.

"K-Kazeshini, how-" Shuhei had to stop immediately when he was forced to dodge the shikai form of his own zanpaktou. The blade of the scythe that he threw stuck into the wall and the chain was now hung up between the two of us. He was a feisty one.

"That's what I came to ask you for you idiot," he grumbled and then tugged on the chain causing the scythe to go back to him. Oh great, so they don't know how it happened either. "Don't tell me you don't know why I'm here either," he practically repeated my thoughts.

"I have no idea," Shuhei told him and I nodded. Shuhei glanced over to Dokusha "does that mean that that's your zanpaktou?" he questioned me.

"Yeah just don't…" my voice trailed off when I saw Kazeshini doing exactly what I didn't want Shuhei to do. Somehow Kazeshini had managed to knock Dokusha off the couch. "Wake him up…" I finished the sentence a little too late. The blue eyes shot open and a glare was directed towards Kazeshini. Even though the glare was only with one eye, because his golden bangs covered his right eye, it was still intimidating. Dokusha slowly got up and without much thought he kicked Kazeshini out the window and closed it. Kazeshini stood up and shot Dokusha glare of his own. I felt like I was watching one of those silent movies with pointless violence. Finally it was my turn to calm the air.

"Dokusha just open the window already," I said while walking up to him. He sighed and opened the window. Right when he did Kazeshini jumped in and was about to attack Dokusha but I stopped him. "And you stop it, the only reason he did that is because you interrupted his sleep," and with that said he begrudgingly lowered his weapon.

Okay now let me explain something. So far I've only explained Dokusha to be all calm and cool but unless it's me he isn't like that very much; especially if you interrupt his sleep. He can get violent and very angry. As long as you know what to avoid in ticking off you'll be fine.

"So… what now?" I questioned and Shuhei and I watched Dokusha and Kazeshini glare at eachother. We decided to go to the head captain to see if anyone else was having this problem. Hopefully other people were or then it'd just be even weirder. Upon arriving at the barracks we found out that it really wasn't just us.

"You guys too huh?" the red-haired lieutenant said when he spotted us. Renji was standing beside a woman and girl that was linked together by chains whom I supposed was his zanpaktou.

"Yeah, do you know what's going on?" Shuhei was the first to ask. All the other captains and higher ranked officers were there as well with their zanpaktou.

"Not a clue, apparently everyone woke up this morning to find that their zanpaktou was in their office," Renji explained. It was exactly what had happened to us. A few minutes later the captain of squad 12 came with his lieutenant in tow.

"I've done some tests," he announced to everyone.

"So, what is the situation?" the head captain wasted no time in asking his question. I noticed that once again the 12th division's captain's face had changed again. That guy really creeps me out though. If I didn't know any better I'd say he would want to run tests on me and my cat features.

"Nothing particularly interfered with the zanpaktou like in the Muramasa case. Not even I can explain why they're out, all I know is that they will go back within 24 hours," he explained. So we came all the way over here just to find out that we don't know the reason why this is happening? It's not like I'm complaining, I like having Dokusha around, but couldn't the 12th squad do any better?

After that whole thing we were dismissed back to work like any other day. Shuhei and I had some paperwork to do, what a surprise. It seemed like a pretty normal day after that though, but I couldn't really say that since it was only one or two hours into the day. While we worked, Dokusha sat on the couch and Kazeshini on the windowsill like where they were this morning.

"Finished," I said while putting my last stack of papers to the corner of desk. "Why is there so much paperwork in a place that mostly involves fighting anyways?" I asked Shuhei with a sigh. He looked up at me and then shrugged.

"Oh can you go and deliver this to the tenth division if you're done?" he asked while holding up a folder stuffed with papers. Another sigh escaped my lips as I got up. This guy can't hold up much chatter unless he's done with work can he? I took the folder and then walked over to Dokusha.

"Let's go," I told him and he got up. After that we left the barracks of the 9th division and headed to the 10th. "Ugh this is so boring," I muttered while walking. Dokusha chuckled.

"Then why don't we go do something when we're done with this task?" he asked.

"Sure, if I don't have nothing else to do," I shrugged. A few minutes of walking later and I was at the 10th division's office.

"Rie!" I heard the familiar squeal of Rangiku. I already knew that the bone-crushing hug would come next, which it did. Once I was finally able to breathe again I greeted her.

"I came by to drop off some papers for your captain." I looked over Rangiku's shoulder to see Captain Hitsugaya at his desk. "Hi Captain Hitsugaya," I greeted with a smile. Next to him was a taller guy with long, teal hair and an icy X across his face. I assumed that this was Toshiro's zanpaktou.

"So is this your zanpaktou then?" Rangiku said while observing Dokusha I nodded with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you," Dokusha said.

"Where is your zanpaktou?" I then questioned noticing the lack of one zanpaktou. Rangiku pointed over to the couch where a woman who looked kind of like a cat was sleeping. I almost laughed at how similar that was to Rangiku.

"Captain I'm going for lunch with Rie, bye!" Rangiku then said and grabbed my wrist and rushed out before he could stop her.

"So has anything else happened with you and Shuhei lately?" Rangiku questioned the moment we sat down in a restaurant with a wink.

"No…" I trailed off. It felt somewhat awkward to have this conversation in front of my zanpaktou. I mean, I know that he's like a part of me but he's still like a different person right now.

"Aw," Rangiku pouted. "When are you going to make a move or something?"

"A… move?" I flushed. I've already kissed him. What other move can I make?

"Yeah, I mean all you've done is kissed him once and nothing else. If you don't make him officially yours now someone else might pop up," Rangiku stated like she was the relationship master or something. Wait did she just say someone else? Are there other people interested in Shuhei?

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to cut in but may I just mention that the waiter has been standing here for a few minutes now?" Dokusha interrupted. We turned our heads to see a man waiting to ask what we wanted.

Once we were done eating Rangiku had to get back to work. "Good luck," she winked at me before leaving. I sighed and then looked over to Dokusha.

"Girls are so complicated," I stated.

"No doubt," he agreed with a nod. I let out a little chuckle and he cocked a brow. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," I muttered and then looked back to the road ahead of us. "It's just that I remembered how I said I'd love you if you were real and here you are right now," I explained. He seemed to understand now.

"But now you love someone else," he said bluntly. I faintly nodded and then continued.

"I guess it'd be kind of weird anyways. I mean like… you're a part of me and all," I murmured.

"Plus I don't think it would work out anyways," he said, I tilted my way much like a cat would and turned to him in confusion. "I have a thing for dog-girls anyways," he teased. I gave him a playful shove with a laugh.

"It's your loss," I began to play along with a laugh now too. Dokusha stopped walking beside me which caused me to stop as well. The look on his face changed and then he turned to me with a soft smile.

"It seems that I can go now," he informed me.

"Didn't the head of the twelfth division say you'd go back in 24 hours?" I questioned.

"Not all scientists are correct," he told me. Then he proceeded in touching the zanpaktou strapped to my side and disappeared in a dim glow. When I disappeared I looked down at my zanpaktou and smiled.

"Now back to the office," I muttered to myself. I slid the office door open and saw Shuhei sitting at the desk still working. It came to my attention that Kazeshini was also gone. Every zanpaktou had probably gone back when Dokusha did. "Hey," I greeted.

"You're finally back," he looked up at me.

"Yeah, sorry but I was out with Rangiku getting lunch," I told him. Something unexpected crossed over his features. Was that relief? My lips cracked into a smile and I started laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Shuhei questioned. I laughed until I was on the ground all teary eyed with painful ribs. I sat up and looked over to Shuhei.

"Were… were you seriously jealous of my own zanpaktou or something?" I asked while trying to calm down. Like I said before I am almost a master at reading facial expressions. Shuhei's face immediately gained a tint of pink when I said that. I was right.

"N-no I wasn't," he stammered. It was useless for him to try and deny it now.

"Oh come on, you were wondering why it was taking so long weren't you?" I asked. He just looked back down to his work trying his best to ignore me. I got up and walked in front of the desk. "Listen; first of all he's my zanpaktou so he is practically a part of me or something. It'd be pretty weird for anything like that to happen. And second of all you're the one I like." There I said it. That caused him to look up at me. Then he smiled.

"I know," was his response with a smirk.

"Don't get to conceited now," I chuckled. He chuckled along with me and then we shared a nice moment of silence. "Well I'm going to go do some training." He nodded and I left the office again. It's not that I didn't want to be with him or anything. Shuhei is pretty busy so I don't want to get in the way of what he has to do.

For the most part I just trained by myself out in the forest. You know the usual cutting down trees and stuff. Back when I was still being hidden from everything I wasn't exactly allowed to train. Even though I am partially a pacifist I still like to train my skills. If I'm ever caught in a situation then I want to be able to defend myself.

Training took longer than I had originally expected. By the time I was done the evening sun was beginning to emit a beautiful shade of orange. No matter how many times I see the sun set I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

"It's just as beautiful as ever," a voice caused me to swirl around on my heel. To my surprise it was Shuhei who said that. "I just finished my work for the day," he said before I could ask why or how he was here.

"That's good," I smiled and then looked back up at the sky "because watching the sunset is way better with you." By this point I'm not really sure if what I say is mushy-lovey-dovey-crap but I don't really care. I sat down in the grass and patted the space next to me where Shuhei sat down.

I looked over to Shuhei to see the glow from the sky on his face. I can't exactly recall what led to what happened next but I'm positive that it wasn't a dream. Shuhei turned towards me and we were just staring into each other's eyes for a while. I was trapped by the deep void of darkness in his eyes. Many people may not find much beauty in the color black but looking into Shuhei's eyes now I could see it. To me black was the most alluring color right now.

That's when both of our minds started acting out on their own. Our heads inched forward and our lips finally met. I almost exploded on the inside as we kissed. It was so blissful. It was gentle yet passionate and my hands soon found their way around Shuhei's neck. He pulled me up on his lap so I could position myself better and then we just kissed. I never knew how much a kiss can say before. It was something where you didn't need words, where you didn't need to say anything. You just understand.

Shuhei's tongue brushed across my lip asking for entrance and I let it in. We explored each other's mouths for a moment and took in everything. When I was younger I never thought about this sort of stuff, mostly because I thought I'd never get a boyfriend. I never thought kissing would come so naturally. Unfortunately we had to part for air. We rested our foreheads against each other and stared into each other's eyes as we panted for air.

"I wish… that we didn't need to breathe," I muttered between breaths.

"Same here," he said and then it started all over again. That was the moment I never wanted to end. The warm touch of his lips and his hold on me almost made me melt. Somewhere along the way we had stopped and just lied down on the grass on our sides staring at each other's eyes again.

"I wonder when this all started happening," Shuhei told me.

"Sometimes it just happens without you even knowing," I said. "I guess you were just different from everyone else I've met. I mean, sure Renji was nice to me and all but just as a friend. But you… I don't know how but you just seem to get me more," I tried my best in explaining what I felt. Then it was apparently Shuhei's turn.

"You're like no one I've ever met before. I wouldn't care if you were part dog or rabbit or any other animal there is. You're beautiful and original. When I first met you, you didn't seem to care what others thought about you and you're brave enough to stand up to the head captain," Shuhei said. I couldn't help but blush. No one has ever complimented me so much before. He then sat up and so did I. "I'll walk you home," he said. I didn't even have to answer for him to know that I wanted him to.

We got up and began walking towards my house. As we walked we just talked as we usually did. It wasn't awkward at all and that's why our relationship was so great. All we needed was a conversation topic and we could talk for hours. Sometimes Shuhei told me about his academy days and I spoke about some of my childhood stories on our way to my house. I let him speak more though because most of my stories weren't as lively as his. He even told me the story about how he got the three scars on his face from a hollow.

The trip to my house was shorter than I remember. We stood at my doorstep for a moment in silence. I didn't want to go inside yet. "Thanks," I mumbled. My hands slowly opened my door and then I turned back around. "Do you want to come in for some tea?" I asked.

"Sure," he replied almost immediately. By how fast that answer came out I suspected that Shuhei was thinking the same as me. We both didn't want to leave eachother. As we drank our tea inside we talked over different subjects. This time it was more of just random stuff rather than our pasts. There was more laughing in this conversation than the last one which was great.

"Okay think about this," I said between giggles. "What if, along with the dress, he had to carry around a cane and be followed by a little lamb?" I inquired and we both burst out into fits of laughter. Sometimes some of the funniest things to talk about was making fun of your friends or making up a crazy scenario that would probably never happen, and that's exactly what we were doing. "And then… kids would sing 'Renji had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Renji had a little lamb who's fleece was red as a tomato~'" I said just trying my best to hold in the laughter until the end. Oh Renji, without you to make fun of it would just be boring.

"So the lamb would have red hair too?" Shuhei questioned between laughs.

"Of course," I laughed along with him. After our laughter finally dimmed down we were engulfed in another comfortable silence. The tea was all gone but Shuhei didn't make an excuse to stay. He just did and I didn't mind one bit. Being in love is amazing.

* * *

**A/N: Tadah! That's it for this chapter. I seriously have no idea what I was going to do with the whole zanpaktou thing so I just made them disappear a little bit faster but who cares because it just left more room for the ShuheixRie moment! I do plan to keep writing this story but I don't really want to insert another storyline (for example the world to the living thing) So I'm open to suggestions!  
If you have anything that you really want to see happen in this story please tell what it is in the reviews and I'll try my best. I'm not very good with lemons so I can only do teaser, sorry fangirls. So once again if you have anything you want to see and I mean anything (like Renji getting lost in the jungle and Shuhei and Rie having to find him) I'll do it!  
Till next time!**

**~Zella**


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